Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Mylonite-bearing crustal shear zones are exhumed extensions at depth of (potentially seismogenic) brittle faultsat shallow structural level. By concentrating deformation, shear zones play a major role in the rheology and mechanicalbehavior of the continental crust. Analysis of shear zone geometry and microstructures is a useful toolto decipher deformation kinematics, though finite strain estimation is still relatively qualitative. Timing of thedeformation has also been the focus of numerous studies using the complete spectrum of geochronometers. However,only rare examples provide geochronological data that can be unambiguously linked with deformation. Thus,time-scales over which major mylonite zones develop and remain active under ductile conditions as well as theirstrain rates often remain poorly documented. Several sections across the South Armorican Shear Zone (SASZ),a crustal-scale, several km-thick dextral shear zone were investigated by structural, petrological and Ar/Ar radiochronologicalmethods. Finite strain profiles on these sections showed a strong deformation partitioning towardsthe ultramylonite core of the SASZ, with a decrease, of both the C’/S mean angle (from ca. 45 to less than5) and the Quartz grain-size (from ca. 150 to 5 m). In parallel, conventional and in-situ Ar/Ar datings on thefabric-forming white micas were performed on compositionally complex white-micas. Inherited magmatic muscovitescarried by the foliation and newly-formed, syn-tectonic substituted phengites located along the shear bandsyielded 2 age groups for the less deformed samples. Along the shear zone cross-section, the difference betweenthese two ages evolves from 10-15 Ma in weakly deformed domains to zero toward the SASZ core. In addition, thevery fine-grained syn-tectonic phengites yielded the same ca. 300-298 Ma age irrespectively of their distance to thecore of the shear zone, even in slightly deformed rocks distant by several km. These results support a new modelof crustal-scale shear zone activity, where the whole body of the shear zone is active throughout its history, i.e.the actively deforming zone does not get progressively narrower. The strain distribution nevertheless evolves withtime, with an increasingly larger fraction partitioned in the ultramylonitic core. Besides, combination of the finitestrain estimations and the Ar/Ar ages enables us to assess the range of strain rates associated with mylonitization.
EGU General Assembly 2014
Vienne, Austria

insu-01565057
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01565057

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Primary arc melts may form through fluxed or adiabatic decompression melting in the mantle wedge, or via a combination of both processes. Major limitations to our understanding of the formation of primary arc melts stem from the fact that most arc lavas are aggregated blends of individual magma batches, further modified by differentiation processes in the sub-arc mantle lithosphere and overlying crust. Primary melt generation is thus masked by these types of second-stage processes. Magma-hosted peridotites sampled as xenoliths in subduction zone magmas are possible remnants of sub-arc mantle and magma generation processes, but are rarely sampled in active arcs. Published studies have emphasised the predominantly harzburgitic lithologies with particularly high modal orthopyroxene in these xenoliths; the former characteristic reflects the refractory nature of these materials consequent to extensive melt depletion of a lherzolitic protolith whereas the latter feature requires additional explanation.Here we present major and minor element data for pristine, mantle-derived, lava-hosted spinel-bearing harzburgite and dunite xenoliths and associated primitive melts from the active Kamchatka and Bismarck arcs. We show that these peridotite suites, and other mantle xenoliths sampled in circum-Pacific arcs, are a distinctive peridotite type not found in other tectonic settings, and are melting residues from hydrous melting of silica-enriched mantle sources. We explore the ability of experimental studies allied with mantle melting parameterisations (pMELTS, Petrolog3) to reproduce the compositions of these arc peridotites, and present a protolith (‘hybrid mantle wedge’) composition that satisfies the available constraints. The composition of peridotite xenoliths recovered from erupted arc magmas plausibly requires their formation initially via interaction of slab-derived components with refractory mantle prior to or during the formation of primary arc melts. The liquid compositions extracted from these hybrid sources are higher in normative quartz and hypersthene (i.e., they have a more silica-saturated character) in comparison with basalts derived from prior melt-depleted asthenospheric mantle beneath ridges. These primary arc melts range from silica-rich picrite to boninite and high-Mg basaltic andesite along a residual spinel harzburgite cotectic. Silica enrichment in the mantle sources of arc-related, subalkaline picrite-boninite-andesite suites coupled with the amount of water and depth of melting, are important for the formation of medium-Fe (‘calc-alkaline’) andesite-dacite-rhyolite suites, key lithologies forming the continental crust.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01553520
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01553520
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2016.09.030

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Tectonically controlled landforms develop morphologic features that provide useful markers to investigate crustal deformation and relief growth dynamics. In this paper, we present results of morphotectonic experiments obtained with an innovative approach combining tectonic and surface processes (erosion, transport, and sedimentation), coupled with accurate model monitoring techniques. This approach allows for a qualitative and quantitative analysis of landscape evolution in response to active deformation in the three end-member geological settings: compression, extension, and strike–slip.Experimental results outline first that experimental morphologies evolve significantly at a short time scale. Numerous morphologic markers form continuously, but their lifetime is generally short because erosion and sedimentation processes tend to destroy or bury them. For the compressional setting, the formation of terraces above an active thrust appears mainly controlled by narrowing and incision of the main channel through the uplifting hanging-wall and by avulsion of deposits on fan-like bodies. Terrace formation is irregular even under steady tectonic rates and erosional conditions. Terrace deformation analysis allows retrieving the growth history of the structure and the fault slip rate evolution. For the extensional setting, the dynamics of hanging-wall sedimentary filling appears to control the position of the base level, which in turn controls footwall erosion. Two phases of relief evolution can be evidenced: the first is a phase of relief growth, and the second is a phase of upstream propagation of topographic equilibrium that is reached first in the sedimentary basin. During the phase of relief growth, the formation of triangular facets occurs by degradation of the fault scarp, and their geometry (height) becomes stationary during the phase of upstream propagation of the topographic equilibrium. For the strike–slip setting, the complex morphology of the wrench zone, composed of several interacting fault segments, enhances the interactions with the drainage network. Because of the widening of the main fault zone toward the surface, a significant amount of distributed deformation is observed along the wrench zone. Locally, where two terminations of fault segments interact, less than a quarter of the far field displacement can remain measurable using fault offsets, leading to a systematic underestimation of the real fault slip rate.These different experimental examples illustrate the great potential of the approach coupling deformation mechanisms and erosion–transport–sedimentation processes to investigate qualitatively and quantitatively the morphotectonic evolution of tectonically controlled landscapes.
ISSN: 0169-555X

hal-01243587
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243587
DOI : 10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.02.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The « METYSS » cruise was carried out in June 2009 onboard the R/V « Téthys II » along the eastern Sardinian and south-eastern Corsican margins, western Tyrrhenian Sea, in order to better constrain the potential links between deformation related to either crustal tectonics or salt tectonics and sediment accumulation, especially during the Messinian and Plio-Quaternary times. We acquired 15 high-resolution seismic reflection profiles (about 1200 km in cumulative length) along the south-eastern Corsican margin, immediately north of the Bonifacio Strait and along the upper and middle parts of the eastern Sardinian margin, from the continental slope to the Cornaglia Terrace. The Tyrrhenian Sea is considered as a Neogene back-arc basin that opened during continental rifting and oceanic spreading related to the eastward migration of the Apennine subduction system from Tortonian to Pliocene times (Jolivet et al., 2006). Rifting of the Tyrrhenian Sea started first along the Eastern Sardinian margin during the Tortonian-Messinian times and therefore the series of that age should be considered as syn-rift sediments (Sartori et al., 2004). The « METYSS » seismic profiles clearly illustrate that this part of the Tyrrhenian was highly segmented during the rifting stage by N-S trending normal faults delineating ridges (e.g., Baronie Ridge) and basins (e.g., Sardinian Basin and Cornaglia Terrace), as previously described for example by Thommeret (1999) and Sartori et al. (2004). The Messinian sedimentary units and especially the « Upper Unit » (UU, Lofi et al., this congress, corresponding to the « Upper Evaporites » in the previous literature) are, without any doubt, of syn-rift age, as they display a fan-shaped stratal geometry. The Mobile Unit (MU, Lofi et al., this congress), i.e. the Messinian halite, is clearly imaged in the study area and its spatial repartition can be outlined. The highly-variable thickness of the confined salt basins could be due to the initial basin geometry (i.e. before the Messinian salinity Crisis) or to the syn-rift character of the deposition. Southeastward of the study area, in the vicinity of the Cornaglia Seamount, salt tectonics appears surprisingly vigorous. More surprisingly, several normal faults seem to have remained active in recent times, if not even at present time. Fault slip has been recorded by bathymetric scarps and associated footwall debris flows interfingered within the Plio-Quaternary sequence, even though the eastern Sardinian margin is usually considered to be passive now. Moreover, some amount of tectonic inversion is visible on some normal faults that show contractional or transpressional components of late slip. In addition, this “post-rift” deformation can be illustrated within the Plio-Quaternary sequence by a regional unconformity. Consequently, numerous mass-transport deposits and channel-levees systems observed in the Plio-Quaternary cover could be partly controlled by tectonic activity. These very preliminary results require further investigations in order to better decipher the role of crustal tectonics and salt tectonics, salt-related structures being very efficient markers to discriminate between the respective contribution of gravity-driven, salt tectonics and deep-seated, crustal tectonics (Gaullier et al., 2010). Finally, we aim to precisely determine the relative vertical movements (tilting, subsidence, magmatism. . . ) and geodynamical history of the different segments of the area since 6 Ma.
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vienne, Austria

hal-00537828
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00537828
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00537828/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00537828/file/EGU2010-15469_ref6821.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : We describe for the first time a set of large active thrusts and folds near the foot of the easternmost Algerian margin, Western Mediterranean, from swath bathymetry and high-resolution seismic data acquired in 2005 during the Maradja2/Samra cruise. This active system resumes a previous passive margin and creates growth strata deposition on the limbs of large folds, resulting in the development of perched basins at the foot of the margin since less than similar to 1 Ma. They form a set of overlapping fault segments verging toward the Algerian basin, in a way similar to what has been observed off eastern Algiers on the rupture zone of the 2003 Mw 6.8 Boumerdes earthquake. The horizontal shortening rate across large folds is estimated to be of the order of 1 mm/yr. Although no historical earthquakes are reported here, these fault segments could have been responsible for large (M similar to 7.5) events in the past. This young tectonic system further supports the hypothesis of subduction inception of the Neogene oceanic lithosphere in the context of the Africa-Eurasia convergence.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier), 2009-06 , Vol. 261 , N. 1-4 , P. 17-32

Droits : 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6850.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2008.05.016
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6850/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Blackwell Publishing
Résumé : International audience
In the Causses platform (south-east France), Late Hettangian to Sinemurian deposits were interpreted previously as shallow-water carbonate ramp deposits. A new look at these deposits has shown a fault-controlled mosaic carbonate platform that is different from the carbonate ramp models. Within the platform mosaic, 15 lithofacies have been recognized, which are organized in four facies associations, including peritidal, restricted shallow sub-tidal, sand dunes and sub-tidal shelf facies associations. The rapid lateral and vertical facies changes, and the lack of consistent landward or seaward direction indicated by the pattern of facies changes, question the existence of a shoreline suggested by the traditional models for this region. Instead, the facies organization and cycle stacking pattern suggest deposition in a mosaic of intertidal islands between which sub-tidal restricted or open conditions could coexist in very close proximity. Such a platform mosaic would have been defined by tectonic activities along normal faults which segmented the shallow-water Causses platform. The facies and facies associations are arranged into metre-scale, peritidal and sub-tidal cycles that are also variable. Certain cycles show the same stacking pattern in all the sections and seem to be traceable over tens of kilometres. On the contrary, other cycles cannot be correlated; they are present only in specific sections and have a maximum lateral extension of 1 or 2 km. These metre-scale cycles stack to form four medium-scale cycles bounded by surfaces that display sub-aerial exposure features. Medium-scale cycles stack into two larger-scale cycles (tens of metres thick) and are bounded by well-defined karstic surfaces. Based on their lateral continuity and their stacking pattern, the metre-scale cycles are controlled probably by high frequency eustatic variations overprinting the topographic irregularities formed by differential subsidence of fault-bounded blocks. Episodic fault activities may reorganize the topography so that, even if eustatic changes may still be the major control of cycles, the expression and number of cycles could be different. Cycles of medium and large-scale are interpreted as being allogenic, controlled by changes in eustasy and/or subsidence rates as evidenced by their lateral continuity and the correlations of the large-scale cycles with third-order depositional sequences.
ISSN: 1469-3496

hal-00411940
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411940
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-3091.2007.00896.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The modern high topography of the Tianshan resulted from the reactivation of a Paleozoic orogenic belt by the India/Asia collision. Today, the range exhibits tectonically active forelands and intermontane basins. Based on quantitative morphotectonic observations and age constraints derived from cosmogenic 10Be dating, single-grain post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (p-IR IRSL) dating and modeling of fault scarp degradation, we quantify the deformation in the Nalati and Bayanbulak intermontane basins in the central Eastern Tianshan. Our results indicate that at least 1.4 mm/yr of horizontal crustal shortening is accommodated within these two basins. This shortening represents over 15% of the 8.5 ± 0.5 mm/yr total shortening rate across the entire range at this longitude. This shortening rate implies that the Eastern Central Tianshan is thickening at a mean rate of ∼1.4 mm/yr, a rate that is significantly higher than the average denudation rate of 0.14 mm/yr derived from our cosmogenic analysis. This discrepancy suggests that the Tianshan range has not yet reached a steady-state topography and remains in a transient state of topographic growth, most likely due to limited denudation rates driven by the arid climate of Central Asia.
ISSN: 0012-821X

insu-01610154
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01610154
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.09.025

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The purpose of this work is to specify the deformation offshore East of Taiwan by characterizing major active faults in particular at the level of the Ryukyu forearc. The major problem associated with the study of this region is that earthquakes are located outside the permanent networks. Consequently, this led to some unprecise earthquake locations limiting tectonic and statistical analyses, and therefore the correct estimation of the seismic hazard. This work is included in the project ANR ACTS (Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazard in Taiwan). To achieve this goal, we worked on three different timescales for which a different localization method has been proposed to obtain a clear image of seismic deformation and highlight major faults offhore East of Taiwan. First, at the scale of the century (from the analysis of a seismicity catalogue with homogeneous magnitude), the instrumental historical earthquakes (1897-2007) show that the Ryukyu margin was affected by 6 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 with 4 of them for which the responsible fault is unknown. We propose a method of relative location to relocate the historic events from the time difference of P and S arrival times (Ts-Tp) at each station. The location is obtained by searching for "analogue" earthquakes in the recent instrumental catalogue (1991-2008) for which Ts-Tp at each station is close. This method has been applied to the largest (in terms of magnitude) earthquake ever recorded in Taiwan, the earthquake of June 5, 1920 (M7.7 +/- 0.2). A rupture along the interplate of the Ryukyu subduction with a possible nucleation at the downdip limit of a splay-fault is certainly responsible of this earthquake. Then, at the scale of the decade, the improvement of the method of absolute location based on MAXimum of Intersection of EDT (MAXI, EDT: Equal Differential Time) allows to better extract the erroneous arrival times and prevents the "trade-off" between depth and origin time, and between depth and epicentral position when the azimuthal coverage is low (gap Azimuthal > 180degre). Synthetic tests show the effectiveness of MAXI (using P-wave only) to determine the parameters x, y and z even when the azimuthal gap is important. In the latter case, the quality of the results is dependent on the velocity model to represent the 3D structure of the Earth. We propose an approach involving the use of a 3D a priori P-wave velocity model to locate earthquakes which are lateral and remote to the seismic network. An application to the case of Taiwan and Ecuador validates this approach. Finally, at the level of a few months, the marine geophysical campaign RATS (Ryukyu Arc: Tectonics and Seismology) was conducted in two stages. A passive seismology experiment from July to October, 2008 (RATS1) has been conducted over the forearc of the Ryukyus and then active seismic experiment (refraction and reflection) was conducted in May 2009 in a NNE - SSW line through the Ryukyu margin. These two combined experiments allow improving our knowledge about the crustal structure of the margin. At the level of the forearc, the basement of the forearc is characterized by vertical backstop and a very deformed basis certainly associated with a significant out of sequence deformation. In depth, the downgoing plate is certainly affected by a tear that controls the seismicity in the region of transition between the subduction and collision.
Le but de ce travail est de préciser la déformation en mer à l'est de Taïwan et de notamment caractériser les failles actives majeures en particulier au niveau de l'avant-arc des Ryukyus. Le problème majeur associé à l'étude de cette région est que les séismes sont localisés en dehors des réseaux permanents et que cela conduit à des localisations peu précises limitant les analyses statistiques, tectoniques et donc l'estimation correcte de l'aléa sismique. Ce travail est inclus dans le projet ANR ACTS (Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazard in Taiwan). Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous travaillons à trois échelles de temps différentes pour lesquelles une méthode de localisation différente a été proposée pour obtenir une image précise de la déformation sismique et mettre en évidence les failles majeures en mer à l'est de Taïwan. D'abord, à l'échelle du siècle (à partir de l'analyse d'un catalogue de sismicité homogène en magnitude), les séismes historiques instrumentaux (1897-2007) montrent que la marge des Ryukyus a été affectée par 6 séismes de magnitude supérieure à 7 dont 4 pour lesquels la faille responsable n'est pas connue. Nous proposons une méthode de localisation relative qui permet de relocaliser les évènements historiques à partir des différences de temps d'arrivées P et S (Ts-Tp) à chaque station. La localisation est obtenue en recherchant les séismes analogues dans le catalogue instrumental récent (1991-2008) pour lesquels Ts-Tp à chaque station est proche. Cette méthode a été appliquée au plus gros séisme (en terme de magnitude) jamais enregistré à Taïwan, le séisme du 5 juin 1920 (M7.7 $pm$ 0.2). Ce séisme a certainement pour origine une rupture sur l'interplaque sismogène de la subduction des Ryukyus avec une possible nucléation à la base d'une faille hors-séquence. Ensuite, à l'échelle de la dizaine d'années, l'amélioration de la méthode de localisation absolue du MAXimum d'Intersection EDT (MAXI, EDT: Equal Differential Time) permet de mieux extraire les temps d'arrivées erronés et empêche les "trade-off" entre profondeur et temps d'origine et, entre profondeur et position épicentrale lorsque la couverture azimutale est faible (gap azimutal > 180°). Des tests synthétiques montrent l'efficacité de MAXI (en utilisant les ondes P uniquement) à déterminer les paramètres x, y et z même lorsque le gap azimutal est important. Dans ce dernier cas, la qualité des résultats reste dépendant du modèle de vitesse à représenter la structure 3D de la Terre. Nous proposons une démarche associant l'utilisation d'un modèle de vitesse des ondes P 3D a priori avec la méthode MAXI pour localiser les séismes qui sont latéraux et éloignés du réseau. Une application au cas de Taïwan et en Équateur valide cette approche. Enfin, à l'échelle de quelques mois, la campagne de géophysique marine RATS (Ryukyu Arc: Tectonics and Seismology) a été menée en deux temps. Une expérience de sismologie passive de juillet à octobre 2008 (RATS1) a été menée au-dessus de l'avant-arc des Ryukyus puis une expérience de sismique active (réfraction et réflexion) a été menée en mai 2009 sur une ligne NNE-SSW à travers la marge des Ryukyus. Ces deux expériences combinées permettent d'améliorer notre connaissance de la structure crustale de la marge. Au niveau de l'avant-arc, le socle de l'avant-arc est caractérisé par une extrémité formant un butoir vertical et une base très déformée certainement associée à une importante déformation hors-séquence. En profondeur, la plaque plongeante est certainement affectée par une déchirure qui contrôle la sismicité dans cette région de transition entre la subduction et la collision.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737

tel-00660737
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00660737/file/Thesis_small.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The Karakorum Fault zone (KFZ), lying in the west of the Tibetan plateau, is an important dextral strike-slip fault and the important northern geological boundary of the west Himalaya. In the AyilaRi' gyu Range-Gai Basin area lying in the southeast of the KFZ, Ar-40/Ar-39 thermochronologic analysis was performed on the syn-tectonic minerals in the, metamorphic rocks in the Karakorum ductile shear zone, with the base of petrology and deformation structure researches. According to the microstructure features, the minerals in the shear zone recorded the continuous deformation from high ( > 600 degrees C) to low temperature ( < 250 degrees C) appeared as that the nearly horizontal dextral shearing has transformed into the oblique dextral normal slip, made the greenschist facies of deformation stack oil the early medium-high temperature deformation, indicated the uplift during the slip. The thermochronologic revealed the continuous shear process from the early Miocene to 4Ma at least, which containing three rapid cooling stage: from 25 similar to 22Ma to 21 similar to 18Ma, the deformation locally stopped or slower in the, shallow high temperature shear process; from 15Ma to 12Ma, the rapid uplift of the AyilaRi' gyu Range, the initial formation of the Gar Basin together with the main deep incision of river during the strip-slip of the KFZ; since 9Ma, the AyilaRi' gyu Range has increased the rapid uplift and the Gar Basin has formed finally. According to the different levels of deformation and the dextral displacement of the surface landform with different ages, the long term slip rate and the uplift rate indicated the intense dextral strike slip and uplift associated since the late Quarternary Period.
Acta Petrologica Sinica

hal-00411572
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411572

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Longmen Shan range is one of the major topographic and structural features of the easternmargin of the Tibetan Plateau. With an impressive topographic gradient and low convergence rates across the range this region has raised important questions concerning the dynamics of plateaumargin settings, such as the long-term mechanisms of topographic evolution. The investigation of the distribution in space and time of denudation can provide critical insight into such dynamics and shed light on still unresolved controversies. For that purpose, we present a new dataset that documents the intensity and distribution of denudation processes across this plateaumargin through field survey of fluvial incision markers, quantitative geomorphology and cosmogenic nuclide derived basin-wide erosion rates. Erosion is < 0.5 mm/year in the frontal region of the Longmen Shan and between 0.5 and 1 mm/year further west, with a gradual decrease when reaching the northern headwaters of the Min Jiang watershed, adjacent to the beginning of the Tibetan Plateau. The spatialdistribution of denudation inferred from the various methods we use suggests that most of the differential uplift in the Central Longmen Shan is accommodated by the Beichuan Fault and frontal structures located in the foothills. The denudation pattern seems also to reflect the large-scale propagation of erosion from the Sichuan Basin toward the Plateau. This suggests that the Longmen Shan range is submitted to the combined influences of slow thrusting activity on the frontal structures and progressive westward regressiveerosion as a probable response to a pulse of uplift of the Tibetan PlateauEasternmargin, that started 10 Ma ago.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01564192
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01564192
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2009.10.026

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer-Verlag
Résumé : International audience
With hull-mounted multibeam echosounder data, wereport for the first time along the active Ecuadorian margin,acoustic signatures of water column fluid emissions and seep-relatedstructures on the seafloor. In total 17 flare-shaped acousticanomalies were detected from the upper slope (1250 m) to the shelfbreak (140 m). Nearly half of the flare-shaped acoustic anomaliesrise 200–500 m above the seafloor. The base of the flares is generallyassociated with high-reflectivity backscatter patchescontrasting with the neighboring seafloor. We interpret these flaresas caused by fluid escape in the water column, most likely gases.High-resolution seismic profiles show that most flares occur closeto the surface expression of active faults, deformed areas, slopeinstabilities or diapiric structures. In two areas tectonic deformationdisrupts a Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR), suggesting thatburied frozen gas hydrates are destabilized, thus supplying free gasemissions and related flares. This discovery is important as it opensthe way to determine the nature and origin of the emitted fluids andtheir potential link with the hydrocarbon system of the forearcbasins along the Ecuadorian margin.
ISSN: 0033-4533

insu-01267238
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01267238
DOI : 10.1007/s00024-015-1230-7

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Society of Economic Geologists
Résumé : International audience
The ~8-Moz Sadiola Hill gold deposit is located in the Kédougou-Kénieba inlier, a window of deformed ca. 2200 to 2050 Ma rocks that crop out in eastern Senegal and western Mali. The geology of the inlier differs from other Paleoproterozoic granite-greenstone belts and sedimentary basins by the abundance of carbonate rocks. The Sadiola Hill gold deposit occurs within 3 km of the Senegal-Mali shear zone, and country rocks in the region have undergone polycyclic deformation. The lithostratigraphy of the open pit consists of impure limestones overlain by younger sequences of detrital sedimentary rocks, which include arenite, wacke, and siltstone. The sedimentary rocks have been subjected to regional greenschist-facies metamorphism and have been intruded by multiple generations of synkinematic, calc-alkaline stocks and dikes. The bulk of the ore is hosted within a N-S- to NNW-trending, 10- to 50-m-wide, brittle-ductile dilational shear zone defined as the Sadiola shear zone. Gold lodes also occur along an array of steep NNE-trending shear zones. Geometric and kinematic analyses indicate that the ore-hosting structures were undergoing sinistral displacement at the time of mineralization, locally defined as the D3s NNW-SSE-shortening event. Hydrothermal alteration is polyphase and includes an early high-temperature calc-silicate phase (i.e., porphyroblastic growth of actinolite-tremolite) followed by a potassic phase (i.e., biotite-calcite-quartz ± K-feldspar-tourmaline-actinolite) that was synchronous with ore mineral deposition. Paragenetic studies reveal a multistage ore development that includes an As-rich sulfide stage, followed by an Au-Sb stage. The ore is associated with a metal enrichment suite of Au-As-Sb ± Cu-Fe-W-Mo-Ag-Bi-Zn-Pb-Te. The Sadiola Hill deposit shares a similar relative timing and structural setting to that of other world-class orogenic gold systems in the West African craton (e.g., Ashanti, Loulo), with gold deposition occurring during a period of transcurrent tectonics, after the cessation of region-wide compressional deformation. The high-temperature paragenesis at Sadiola Hill is atypical of gold mineralization in the craton and indicates that the late Eburnean tectono-magmatic activity between ca. 2080 and 2060 Ma played an important role in the dynamics of hydrothermal fluid circulation along the Senegal-Mali shear zone.
ISSN: 0361-0128

hal-01583358
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01583358
DOI : 10.2113/econgeo.112.1.23

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We use a strike-slip fault analog model to study experimentally the role played by along-fault non-uniform and asymmetric applied normal stress on both coseismic slip and long-term fault behavior. Our model is based on a visco-elasto-plastic multi-layered rheology that allows to produce several hundreds of scaled analog microquakes and associated seismic cycles. Uniform or heterogeneous applied normal stress along the fault plane is imposed and maintained constant during the whole experiment durations. Our results suggest that coseismic slip patterns are strongly controlled by spatial normal stress variations and subsequent accumulated shear stress along fault strike. Major microquakes occur preferentially in zones of major shear stress asperities. Coseismic slip distributions exhibit a pattern similar to the along-fault applied normal stress distribution. The occurrence of isolated low to moderate microquakes where residual stresses persist around secondary stress asperities, indicates that stress conditions along the fault also control the whole variability of fault slip events. Moreover, when fault slip stability conditions are modulated by normal stress distribution, our experiments suggest that the along-fault stress heterogeneity influences the seismic cycle regularity and, consequently, long-term fault slip behavior. Uniform applied normal stress favors irregular seismic cycles and the occurrence of earthquakes clustering, whereas non-uniform normal stress with a single high amplitude stress asperity generates strong characteristic microquake events with stable return periods. Together our results strengthen the assumption that coseismic slip distribution and earthquake variability along an active fault may provide relevant information on long term tectonic stress and could thus improve seismic hazard assessment.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01666379
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01666379
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.10.009

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Subduction processes play a major role in plate tectonics and the subsequent geological evolution of Earth. This special issue focuses on ongoing research in subduction dynamics to a large extent (oceanic subduction, continental subduction, obduction…) for both past and active subduction zones and into mountain building processes and the early evolution of orogens. It puts together various approaches combining geophysics (imaging of subduction zones), petrology/geochemistry (metamorphic analysis of HP-UHP rocks, fluid geochemistry and magmatic signal, geochronology), seismology and geodesy (present-day evolution of subduction zones, active tectonics), structural geology (structure and evolution of mountain belts), and numerical modelling to provide a full spectrum of tools that can be used to constrain the nature and evolution of subduction processes and orogeny. Studies presented in this special issue range from the long-term (orogenic cycle) to short-term (seismic cycle).
ISSN: 0264-3707

insu-01287985
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01287985
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01287985/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01287985/file/rolland-2016.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.jog.2016.03.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The Deep Basin of the Gulf of Mexico (DBGM) extends over eastern Mexico, the southeastern part of the United States, west of the Atlantic Ocean. This study, based on the interpretation and integration of seismic profiles, exploration wells and outcrop studies, focus on the deep part of the Gulf of Mexico, where bathymetry varies from 200 to 3750 m, thus comprising both the continental slope and the abyssal plain. The first part of this thesis focus on the description of the sedimentary infill of the western part of the Gulf of Mexico, in the Veracruz State, and to its geodynamic controls. The geodynamic evolution of the Deep Basin of the Gulf of Mexico (DBGM) begins during the Triassic-Jurassic with the break-up and the opening of a continental rift, in the southern part of the North American lithospheric plate. This opening induced a relative movement of the Yucatan Block towards the southeast. This intra-continental rifting episode was followed by a stage of post-rift thermal subsidence in the basins of the continental margin in the west, coeval with oceanic accretion in the DBGM. The thermal subsidence of the margin was subsequently modified by the Laramian orogeny, which impacted strongly the overall architecture of the margin as well as its litho-stratigraphic evolution, inducing the deposition of siliciclastic deposits in various morphotectonic provinces: i.e., near the tectonic front of the Sierra Madre Oriental (SMO), within the adjacent Chicontepec foreland basin, over the Tuxpan Platform (Golden Lane), across the continental slope and up to the deep abyssal plain, these two last morphotectonic provinces belonging to the DBGM. During the Early Paleogene, the effects of the thermal subsidence of the passive margin were stressed by the tectonic load of the Laramian orogen (i.e., the Sierra Madre Oriental, SMO), thus allowing the development of a foreland basin flexural. In this geodynamic framework, the main sedimentary transfers developed from the tectonic front "SMO" in the west, towards the DBGM in the east, the main source for clastic sediments being linked to the erosion of the "SMO" mountains. During the Paleocene and the Early Eocene, the architecture of the silici-clastic syn-tectonic sediments deposited in submarine fans was characterized by sliding, turbidites with A and B Bouma facies, as well as levees and channels. After the stop of the flexural subsidence, the thermal subsidence of the passive margin resumed during the Late Eocene, the Oligocene and the Neogene, allowing the development of a new sedimentary prism, prograding eastwards toward the DBGM. This sedimentary infill was again made up of levees-channels, sand bars and delta systems. During the Neogene, an extensional system with listric faults and roll-over features developed across the slope of the DBGM, due to an active detachment developing within overpressured Eocene-Oligocene clays. This gravitational gliding of Neogene series accounted also for the development of compressional features at the toe of the slope. Approximately 60% of the Miocene siliciclastic sediments have been trapped in growth strata and slope basins associated with this complex gravitational system, ranging from river-delta features towards gravity slides associated with slump facies. The second part of this thesis aims at a quantification of these various processes, including the construction of balanced cross sections, forward Thrustpack kinematic modelling coupling the development of a basal detachment, lithospheric flexure, erosion and sedimentation, as well as subsequent stratigraphic modelling with the Dionisos software, the later aiming at predicting the sand versus clay ratios in Neogene siliciclastic deposits of the DBGM and its surroundings.
Le bassin profond du Golfe du Mexique (BPMG) est localisé à l'est du Mexique, au sud-est des États-Unis et à l'ouest de l'Océan Atlantique. Cette étude de la partie profonde du Golfe du Mexique est basée sur l'intégration de données de sismique, de forages pétroliers et d'études de terrain; elle comprend toute la pente continentale et la plaine abyssale, avec une bathymétrie qui varie de 200 à 3750 m. La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée à la description du remplissage sédimentaire de la bordure occidentale du Golfe du Mexique, dans le secteur de Veracruz, en liaison avec son évolution géodynamique. L'évolution géodynamique du BPMG commence au Trias-Jurassique avec la rupture et la propagation d'un rift continental, dans le secteur sud de la plaque nord américaine. Cette ouverture et le déplacement relatif vers le sud-est du bloc crustal du Yucatan sont à l'origine du BPGM. Cette géodynamique de rift continental est suivie d'une étape post-rift accompagnée de l'océanisation du bassin. Les bassins de la marge passive ont poursuivi leur évolution sous l'effet de la subsidence thermique à l'ouest du Golfe du Mexique, tandis que de la croûte océanique se formait dans le BPGM. Cette subsidence thermique de la marge a ensuite été perturbée par l'orogénèse Laramienne, qui a remodelé l'architecture stratigraphique silico-clastique des dépôts du Tertiaire entre les éléments morphotectoniques suivants: lefront tectonique de la Sierra Madre Orientale (SMO), le bassin d'avant-pays Chicontepec, la Plateforme de Tuxpan-Faja de Oro, la pente continentale et la plaine abyssale, ces deux dernières provinces morphotectoniques appartenant au BPGM. Pendant le Paléogèneinférieur, les effets de la subsidence thermique de la marge passive ont été accentués par la charge tectonique de l'orogénèse laramienne (SMO), permettant ainsi le développement d'un bassin flexural d'avant-pays. Au cours de cette étape, les principaux transferts sédimentaires se sont effectués du front tectonique "SMO" vers le BPGM. La source principale de sédiments clastiques est liée à l'érosion de la chaîne de montagnes "SMO". Pendant le Paléocène et l'Éocène inférieur, l'architecture des premiers sédiments silico-clastiques syn-tectoniques déposés dans des éventails sous-marins sont caractérisés par des figures de glissement, des faciès turbiditiques A et B de Bouma, des chenaux-levées. Après l'arrêt de la subsidence flexurale, la subsidence thermique de la marge passive s'est poursuivie pendant l'Éocène supérieur, l'Oligocène et le Néogène, permettant le développement d'un nouveau prisme sédimentaire progradant. Les remplissages sédimentaires sont encore constitués de chenaux et de levées, avec des barres de sable associées à des systèmes deltaïques sur la plateforme. Pendant le Néogène, un système de failles listriques s'est développé sur la pente du BPGM, au-dessus d'une surface de décollement située, dans la région d'étude, dans les argiles de l'Éocène-Oligocène. Ce système de failles de croissance a piégé plus de 60% des sédiments silico-clastiques du Miocène. Ce remplissage sédimentaire évolue latéralement de faciès fluviaux deltaïques vers des faciès de pente affectés de glissements gravitaires et associés à des turbidites. La deuxième partie de cette thèse est consacrée à une approche quantitative basée sur des modélisations structurales (coupes équilibrées et modélisations cinématiques directes avec Thrustpack, couplant décollement gravitaire, flexure lithosphérique, érosion et sédimentation), puis sédimentaires (prise en compte des transferts de matériel clastique depuis la partie émergée de la chaîne jusqu'au bassin profond, à l'aide du logiciel Dionisos, afin de mieux comprendre les processus de piégeage des sédiments grossiers dans les structures de croissance et les bassins perchés de la marge.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00435120

tel-00435120
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00435120
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00435120/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00435120/file/thesealzaga.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
The present-day topography of the Tian Shan range is considered to result from crustal shortening related to the ongoing India-Asia collision that started in the early Tertiary. In this study we report evidence for several episodes of localized tectonic activity which occurred prior to that major orogenic event. Apatite fission track analysis and (U-Th)/He dating on apatite and zircon indicate that inherited Paleozoic structures were reactivated in the late Paleozoic-early Mesozoic during a Cimmerian orogenic episode and also in the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene (around 65-60 Ma). These reactivations could have resulted from the accretion of the Kohistan-Dras arc or lithospheric extension in the Siberia-Mongolia zone. Activity resumed in the late Mesozoic prior to the major Tertiary orogenic phase. Finally, the ongoing deformation, which again reactivates inherited tectonic structures, tends to propagate inside the endoreic basins that were preserved in the range, leading to their progressive closure. This study demonstrates the importance of inherited structures in localizing the first increments of the deformation before it propagates into yet undeformed areas.
ISSN: 0278-7407

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-00551323
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00551323
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00551323/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00551323/file/2010TC002712.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2010TC002712

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present new groundmass K–Ar ages obtained using the Cassignol–Gillot technique, together with whole-rock major and trace elements, from Les Saintes islands (Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas). They are located along the northern Lesser Antilles inner arc, between Basse-Terre Island (western Guadeloupe) to the North and Dominica Island to the South. Ages reveal that the main volcanic phase in Terre-de-Haut occurred between 2.98 ± 0.04 and 2.00 ± 0.03 Ma, and show that the onset of sub-aerial volcanism in Terre-de-Haut is slightly older (~ 0.2 Myr) than that of northern Basse-Terre. Volcanism in Les Saintes resumed to the west, with the rapid construction of Terre-de-Bas Island at 0.888 ± 0.009 Ma. Major elements analyses show that most lavas from Les Saintes belong to a sub-alkaline medium-K magmatic series and are mainly andesites, with relatively rare basaltic andesites and dacites. Rare earth elements spectra reveal a strong enrichment in light elements, as observed for Dominica lavas, and significantly higher than observed for Basse-Terre lavas. Noticeably, Terre-de-Bas spectra display more enriched patterns relative to those from Terre-de-Haut lavas, suggesting a lower degree of partial melting or a stronger sedimentary component incorporated to the subducting slab. Overall, geochemical signatures of Les Saintes and Dominica magmas display common characteristics, which we interpret as reflecting strong petrogenetic affinities, while both are significantly different from that of Basse-Terre lavas. Finally, this study provides a precise timing of subaerial volcanism of Les Saintes Islands, which can be used to better constrain through time the development of the tectonic half-graben where these islands lie, which is part of the arc-parallel en-echelon faults system accommodating the oblique convergence of the North American plate from Montserrat to Dominica. In addition, these results reveal that the initiation of Terre-de-Haut volcanism is presently the oldest dated volcanism from the northern part of the Lesser Antilles active arc.
ISSN: 0377-0273

hal-01067336
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01067336

Éditeur(s) : Gauthier-villars
Résumé : The aim of the HYFIFLUX-SONNE 99 cruise was the geological, biological and chemical study of the 2 triple-junctions characterizing the oceanic accretion in the North Fiji Basin. Multibeam bathymetric coverage, in situ observations and sampling confirmed the existence of an active spreading ridge immediately west of the Fiji islands (WFR), and gave an evaluation of the magmatic and hydrothermal activity of the central ridge (CSR). New hydrothermal sites have been discovered and sampled.
La campagne HYFIFLUX-SONNE 99 a eu pour objectif l'étude géologique, biologique et chimique des 2 triples jonctions qui caractérisent l'accrétion océanique dans le bassin nord fidjien. La couverture bathymétrique multifaisceaux, l'observation in situ et l'échantillonnage ont permis de confirmer l'existence d'un axe d'accrétion actif immédiatement à l'Ouest des îles Fidji (WFR), et d'évaluer l'activité magmatique et hydrothermale à l'extrémité nord de l'axe central (CSR). De nouveaux sites hydrothermaux ont été découverts et échantillonnés.
Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences Serie II Fascicule A-Sciences de la Terre et des Planetes (Gauthier-villars), 1995-08 , Vol. 321 , N. 3 , P. 239-246

Droits : Académie des Sciences
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00183/29453/27843.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00183/29453/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Two opposing visions of the Aegean backarc tectonics implicitly contain contrasting images of the rheological behaviour of the lihosphere, supported by different sets of observations. The propagation of the NAF and extension in the Corinth Rift suggest a strongly localising rheology whereas the formation of MCC in the Cyclades and the Rhodope suggests instead a more viscous behaviour. This paradox was the seminal question addressed by the ANR-EGEO programme (2007-2010) that leads to the following conclusions: (1) The exhumation of the Cycladic MCC's is accommodated by the N-dipping North Cycladic Detachment System (NCDS) that partly reworks the Vardar suture and at the base by a series of thrusts, including the basal contact of the Cycladic Blueschists (CBS) over the Cycladic Basement (CB). The activity of LANF is due to the reactivation of pre-existing discontinuities such as thrusts or earlier detachments and much less to the interaction with granitic plutons. (2) Exhumation in the Cyclades has proceeded in two stages: (a) Eocene syn-orogenic exhumation within the subduction lower/upperplate interface while the post-orogenic Rhodope MCC formed further north, (b) Oligo-Miocene post-orogenic extension in an MCC mode coeval with syn-orogenic exhumation in Crete and the Peloponnese. (3) Both stages were associated with slab retreat, as early as the Eocene with an acceleration at 30-35 Ma. (4) The localisation of the presently active steeply-dipping normal faults on the southern margin of the Corinth Rift may have been preceded by a partial reworking of thrusts and syn-orogenic detachments by shallow-dipping decollements. (5) The localisation of the NAF in the Marmara Sea region and the Northern Aegean Sea is now accurately dated between 5.3 and 5 Ma Ma using the erosion and deposition surfaces that mark the Messinian salinity Crisis and nannofossils ages. (6) The formation of MCCs in the Cyclades resulted in the draining of the low viscosity lower crust from the northern Aegean Sea and led to an easier coupling between upper mantle and upper crust, easing the localisation and propagation of the NAF. (7) A comparison between crustal and mantle finite strain suggests that mantle flow due to slab retreat controls the stretching of the crust. Our model involves progressive slab retreat and mantle flow below the overriding plate inducing the observed succession of tectonic episodes with a progressive localisation of extension due to several slab tearing events. There is no paradox in the tectonic history and rheological behaviour of the Aegean lithosphere but an evolution of the kinematic boundary conditions due to slab deformation at depth.
American Geophysical Union
San Francisco, United States

insu-00860518
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00860518
BIBCODE : 2010AGUFM.T13G..04J

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Subduction of a narrow slab of oceanic lithosphere beneath a tightly curved orogenic arc requires the presence of at least one lithospheric scale tear fault. While the Calabrian subduction beneath southern Italy is considered to be the type example of this geodynamic setting, the geometry, kinematics and surface expression of the associated lateral, slab tear fault offshore eastern Sicily remain controversial. Results from a new marine geophysical survey conducted in the Ionian Sea, using high-resolution bathymetry and seismic profiling reveal active faulting at the seafloor within a 140 km long, two-branched fault system near Alfeo Seamount. The previously unidentified 60 km long NW trending North Alfeo Fault system shows primarily strike-slip kinematics as indicated by the morphology and steep-dipping transpressional and transtensional faults. Available earthquake focal mechanisms indicate dextral strike-slip motion along this fault segment. The 80 km long SSE trending South Alfeo fault system is expressed by one or two steeply dipping normal faults, bounding the western side of a 500+ m thick, 5 km wide, elongate, syntectonic Plio-Quaternary sedimentary basin. Both branches of the fault system are mechanically capable of generating magnitude 6–7 earthquakes like those that struck eastern Sicily in 1169, 1542, and 1693.
ISSN: 0278-7407

insu-01256887
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01256887/file/GutscherEtal_2015_Tectonics.pdf
DOI : 10.1002/2015TC003898