Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Physical Society
Résumé : International audience
We investigate a class of granular materials characterized by the possibility of interlocking between the particles. The interlocking is modeled by its effect through rolling resistance depending on relative rotation and normal force at the contact points and involving a single parameter analogous to the sliding friction coefficient. The model, which is introduced in the framework of the contact dynamics, method, is applied to simulate the simple shear of a large granular sample. We present a detailed analysis regarding the influence of rolling and sliding friction parameters on the macroscopic response in terms of shear strength, fabric properties, and force transmission. Interestingly, two distinct regimes can be distinguished in which the steady-state shear strength is controlled by either rolling resistance or sliding friction. The relative contributions of rolling and sliding contacts to the shear strength are consistent with the same two regimes. Interlocking strongly affects the force network by enhancing the arching effect and thus increasing the relative importance of weak contact forces and torques, which is reflected in a decreasing power-law probability distribution of the contact forces and torques below the mean. Due to the combined effect of friction and interlocking, the force-carrying backbone takes an increasingly columnar aspect involving a low fraction of particles. Our data suggest that the nature of the weak contact network is strongly affected by the formation of these columns of particles which do not need to be propped laterally. In particular, in the limit of high rolling resistance and sliding friction, the role of the weak network of contacts is no longer to prop the force chains, but, like the strong contact network, to actively sustain the deviatoric load imposed on the system.
ISSN: 1539-3755

hal-00412020
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412020
DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.78.021301

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present an integrated study of geochemistry, petrofabrics and seismic properties of strongly sheared eclogites from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) project in the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane, eastern China. First, geochemical data characterize diverse protoliths of the studied eclogites. The positive Eu- and Sr-anomalies, negative Nb anomaly and flat portion of heavy rare earth elements in coarse-grained rutile eclogites (samples B270 and B295) suggest a cumulate origin in the continental crust, whereas the negative Nb anomaly and enrichment of light rare earth elements in retrograde eclogites (samples B504, B15 and B19) imply an origin of continental basalts or island arc basalts. Second, P-wave velocities (V-p) of three typical eclogite samples were measured under confining pressures up to 500 MPa and temperatures to 700 degrees C. At 500 MPa and room temperature, the mean V-p reaches 8.50-8.53 km/s in samples B270 and B295 but drops to 7.86 km/s in sample B504, and the P-wave anisotropy changes from 1.7-2.7% to 5.5%, respectively. The pressure and temperature derivatives of V-p are larger in the retrograde eclogite than in fresh ones. Third, the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements of the eclogites reveal random crystal preferred orientation (CPO) of garnet and pronounced CPO of omphacite, which is characterized by a strong concentration of [001]-axes sub-parallel to the lineation and of (010)-poles perpendicular to the foliation. The asymmetric CPO of omphacite in sample B270 recorded a top-to-the-south shear event during subduction of the Yangtze plate. The calculated fastest V-p is generally sub-parallel to the lineation, but a different deformation environment during exhumation could form second-order variations in omphacite CPO and affect the V-p distribution in eclogites (e.g., the fastest V-p is at similar to 35 degrees from the foliation in sample 13295). Comparison between measured and calculated seismic properties indicates that the CPO of omphacite controls the seismic anisotropy of eclogites at high pressure, and compositional layering and retrograde minerals will increase the anisotropy. Calculated P-wave velocities agree well with velocities measured at 500 MPa and room temperature for fresh eclogites, but much higher than those of retrograde eclogite. As a case study, the laboratory-derived V-p-P and V-p-T relationships were used to estimate P-wave velocities of eclogites and peridotites beneath the Western Superior Province, Canada. The results indicate that besides the fabric-induced anisotropy, the direction dependence of pressure and temperature derivatives of V-p can significantly increase seismic anisotropy of eclogites with depth, which results in eclogites being an important candidate for the seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle. Due to their very high density and velocity, garnet-rich eclogites within peridotite could be detected in seismic reflections in subduction zones.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00463512
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00463512
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2008.09.027

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We investigated the structure of the upper mantle beneath southeastern Brazil using teleseismic shear wave splitting measurements. Measurements were performed on seismic data recorded in the Ribeira and Brasilia Neoproterozoic belts, which wrap around the southern termination of the São Francisco craton and disappear westward under the Paraná basin. In the northern Ribeira belt, dominated by thrust tectonics, the fast shear wave polarization planes trend on average N080°E, whereas in the central domain, dominated by strike-slip tectonics, fast shear waves are polarized parallel to the structural trend (N065°E). Stations located above the main transcurrent fault display large delay times (> 2.5 s). Such values, among the largest in the world, require either an unusually large intrinsic anisotropy frozen within the lithosphere, or a contribution from both the lithospheric and asthenospheric mantle. Within the southern Brasilia belt, fast split shear waves are polarized parallel to the structural trend of the belt, at a high angle from the APM. Although part of our data set strongly favors an origin of anisotropy related to a fabric frozen in the lithospheric mantle since the Neoproterozoic, a contribution of the asthenospheric flow related to the present day plate motion is also required to explain the observed splitting parameters.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01389116
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389116
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389116/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389116/file/Heintz_SKS_Brazil_EPSL2003_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00163-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Optical Society of America
Résumé : This Letter describes a dual-amplitude modulation technique incorporated into a double reflection extrinsic-type fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer to measure periodic, nonperiodic as well as quasi-static displacements. The modulation scheme simultaneously maintains the interference signal pair in quadrature and provides a reference signal for displacements inferior to a quarter of the source wavelength. The control and phase demodulation of the interferometer carried out via software enable quasi-real-time measurement and facilitates sensor alignment. The sensor system can be exploited in the low frequency range from 10−3 to ∼500 Hz and has a resolution better than 2.2 nm, targeting applications in geophysics.
ISSN: 0146-9592

hal-00758140
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00758140
DOI : 10.1364/OL.37.002886

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Miradouro da Lua cliffs, which are 60 km south of Luanda, record the building and uplift of the late Neogene Palaeo-Cuanza delta. The detailed study of the sedimentary architecture and stacking pattern permitted separation of the pile into five depositional units bounded by erosional surfaces and characterised by separate facies associations (genetic sequences = units in this paper). At the base of the series, aeolian deposits (Unit 1) mark the development of a possible coastal desert during the late Miocene aridification. The major Pliocene sea-level rise (Transgressive Systems Tract) led to the drowning of the continental platform into a discrete shoreface-foreshore sequence (Unit 2), followed by an expanded deltaic sequence (Unit 3) that represents the main outcrop of the area. The sedimentary fabric of this prograding wedge during the Highstand Systems Tract reveals laterally stacked pluri-hectometic mouth bars built by the abrupt switching of a bird-foot delta during the Pliocene highstand. The clinoforms are deeply incised by submarine gullies filled both by periodic river-driven turbidite and tidal currents (Unit 4) during the coeval growing of the delta. The topset of the prograding wedge and associated gullies infill is truncated by an overall erosional unconformity that marks the widespread development of an extensive braid-delta system (Unit 5) during the lower Pleistocene sea-level drop (Lowstand Systems Tract). The last 6 m of the Braid-delta unit is overprinted by a ferallitic profile, forming the surface of the plateau and indicating long-term subaerial exposure and weathering processes consistent with the maximum warming of the middle to late Pleistocene interglacial periods. The successive abrupt shifts of the depositional systems through the sedimentary pile indicate a high-amplitude sea level amplified by major coastal uplifts and the reorganisation of the fluvial network. In this context, the palaeo-Cuanza prograding wedge signals the westward tilting and 60 m total uplift of the coastal plain during the Pliocene. A new uplift pulse by differential tilt and slope increase is deduced from the widespread development of the braid-delta complex during the early Pleistocene. The last tectonic event corresponds to the 80- to 100-m uplift and ferallitic paedogenesis during the middle to late Pleistocene interglacial stages.
ISSN: 0899-5362

hal-01053716
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053716
DOI : 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.01.013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In the Schistes Lustres of Alpine Corsica (France) serpentinized mantle rocks are associated with continental basement and meta-volcanic/-seclimentary cover rocks. The relationships among these different lithologies are especially well exposed in the Monte San Petrone unit, where Alpine metamorphism reached lawsonite-eclogite conditions. The contact between serpentinites and slivers of continental basement, relatively flat-lying over several kilometers, is characterized by evidence of cataclastic deformation pre-dating Alpine High-Pressure ductile fabrics. The serpentinite/continental basement pair is stratigraphically overlain by metasediments with a typical Jurassic-Cretaceous supra-ophiolitic lithostratigraphy, with metaradiolarites passing upward to marbles and cal cschists. Noticeably, no evidence of cataclastic deformation is found in metasediments. These observations indicate that the lithostratigraphy of the Monte San Petrone unit was established during a pre-Alpine polyphase evolution, which culminated in extensive brittle deformation along a flat-lying detachment fault prior to the deposition of Jurassic sediments. We suggest that the inferred Mesozoic extensional tectonics were related to the opening of the Westem Tethys. The Mesozoic architecture of the Monte San Petrone area, which is typical of an Ocean-Continent Transition (OCT) zone, was preserved despite Alpine deformation and metamorphism, when the different lithologies (i.e. meta-ophiolites, continent-derived rocks and metasediments) underwent a common metamorphic evolution, culminating at T=490-550 degrees C and P= 2.2-2.6 GPa. Similar tectonostratigraphic associations are observed in other high-pressure terranes of Alpine Corsica, suggesting that inherited OCT-type domains may be common in Alpine-type orogens.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00617744
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617744
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2011.02.013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Sub-continental lithospheric mantle rocks are exhumed at the foot of magma-poor distal passive margins as aresponse to extreme stretching of the continental crust during plate separation. Remnants of the Northern Iberianpaleo-passive margin are now exposed in the North-Pyrenean Zone (NPZ) and represent field analogues to studythe processes of continental crust thinning and subcontinental mantle exhumation. The NPZ results from theinversion of basins opened between the Iberia and Europa plates during Albo-Cenomanian times. In the westernNPZ, the ‘Chaînons Béarnais’ ranges display a fold-and-thrust structure involving the Mesozoic sedimentarycover, decoupled from its continental basement and associated with peridotite bodies in tectonic contact withPalaeozoic basement lenses of small size. Continental extension developed under hot thermal conditions, asdemonstrated by the syn-metamorphic Cretaceous ductile deformation affecting both the crustal basement and theallochthonous Mesozoic cover.In this study, we present structural and geochemical data providing constraints to reconstruct the evolution ofthe northern Iberia paleo-margin. Field work confirms that the pre-rift Mesozoic cover is intimately associatedto mantle rocks and to thin tectonic lenses of crustal basement. It also shows that the pre-rift cover was detachedfrom its bedrock at the Keuper evaporites level and was welded to mantle rocks during their exhumation atthe foot of the hyper-extended margin. The crust/mantle detachment fault is a major shear zone characterizedby anastomosed shear bands defining a plurimetric phacoidal fabric at the top of the serpentinized mantle. Thedetachment is marked by a layer of metasomatic rocks, locally 20 meters thick, made of talc-chlorite-pyrite-richrocks that developped under greenschist facies conditions. Raman Spectroscopy on Carbonaceous Materials(RSCM), performed on the Mesozoic cover reveal that the entire sedimentary pile underwent temperatures rangingbetween 200C and 480C.We show that: (i) at the site of mantle rocks exhumation, the boudinaged pre-rift sediments have undergone drasticsyn-metamorphic thinning with the genesis of a S0/S1 foliation and, (ii) the Paleozoic basement has been ductilelydeformed, into thin tectonic lenses that remained welded to the exhumed mantle rocks. Therefore the overallcrustal rheology appears dominated by shallow levels having a ductile behavior. This rheology is related to thepresence of a thick pre- and syn-rift decoupled cover acting as an efficient thermal blanket. This new geologicaldata set highlights important characteristics of ductile-type hyper-extended passive margin that cannot be obtainedfrom the study of seismic lines. Finally, we stress that studying field analogues represents a major tool to betterunderstand the mechanisms of extreme crustal thinning associated with mantle exhumation and their structuralinheritance during tectonic inversion.
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vienne, Austria

insu-01510103
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01510103

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Physical Society
Résumé : International audience
Using contact dynamics simulations, we compare the effect of rolling resistance at the contacts in granular systems composed of disks with the effect of angularity in granular systems composed of regular polygonal particles. In simple shear conditions, we consider four aspects of the mechanical behavior of these systems in the steady state: shear strength, solid fraction, force and fabric anisotropies, and probability distribution of contact forces. Our main finding is that, based on the energy dissipation associated with relative rotation between two particles in contact, the effect of rolling resistance can explicitly be identified with that of the number of sides in a regular polygonal particle. This finding supports the use of rolling resistance as a shape parameter accounting for particle angularity and shows unambiguously that one of the main influencing factors behind the mechanical behavior of granular systems composed of noncircular particles is the partial hindrance of rotations as a result of angular particle shape.
ISSN: 1539-3755

hal-00594891
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00594891
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00594891/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00594891/file/Estrada2010ReSubmitV2.pdf
ARXIV : 1105.4418

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
The transition zone at the downdip end of seismic coupling along subduction interfaces is often the site of megathrust earthquake nucleation and concentrated postseismic afterslip, as well as the focus site of episodic tremor and slip features. Exhumed remnants of the former Alpine subduction zone found in the Swiss Alps allow analyzing fluid and deformation processes near the transition zone region (30–40 km paleodepth). The Dent Blanche Thrust (DBT) is a lower blueschist-facies shear zone interpreted as a fossilized subduction interface where granitic mylonites overlie a metamorphosed accretionary wedge. We report field observations from the DBT region where multiple, several tens of meters thick foliated cataclastic networks are interlayered within the basal DBT mylonites. Petrological results and microstructural observations indicate that the various cataclasis events took place at near-peak metamorphic conditions (400–500°C, 1.1–1.3 GPa) during subduction of the Tethyan seafloor in Eocene times (42–48 Ma). Some of these networks exhibit mutual crosscutting relationships between mylonites, foliated cataclasites, and vein systems indicating mutual overprinting between brittle deformation and ductile creep. Whole-rock chemical compositions, in situ 40Ar-39Ar age data of recrystallized phengite, and Sr isotopic signatures reveal that DBT rocks also underwent multiple hydrofracturing and metasomatic events via the infiltration of fluids mainly derived from the oceanic metasediments underneath the DBT. From the rock fabrics, we infer strain rate fluctuations of several orders of magnitude beyond subduction strain rates (∼10−12 s−1) accompanied by fluctuation of supralithostatic and quasi-lithostatic fluid pressures (1 ≥ λ > 0.95). DBT brittle-plastic deformation switches highlight the diversity of deformation processes and fluid-rock interactions in the transition zone region of the subduction interface.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-01243526
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243526
DOI : 10.1002/2015GC005776

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Fault zones are major discontinuities in sedimentary basins. Understanding their role on fluid migrations is an essential issue to (i) characterize the mechanisms and kinematics of deformation and (ii) to determine the parameters which control the distribution of energetic or mineral resources. This work applies to faulting under a temperature range of 200-250°C, corresponding to that of deeply buried reservoirs as well as potentially seismogenic fault zones. The studied faults are normal faults affecting the “Grès d’Annot” Formation, a Priabonian-Rupelian siliclastic turbidite succession of the Alpine foreland basin. They are located in two distinct areas: the Moutière-Restefond area in the eastern part of the basin and the Estrop area in the western part. Vitrinite reflectance outside fault zones indicates maximal temperatures of 240-260°C at Moutière-Restefond and 170-200°C at Estrop, i.e. burial depths around 8 km and 6 km, respectively, assuming a mean geothermal gradient of 30°C/km. Burial was due to underthrusting below the Embrunais-Ubaye Alpine nappes, the difference in burial between the two areas traducing the westward taper of the nappe front.The studied faults affect alternating arkosic sandstone beds and pelite layers with offsets from centimeters to decameters. Two types of core zones are recognized: (1) the foliated core zones of the Moutière-Restefond area, where deformation dominated by pressure solution and synkinematic phyllosilicate neoformation resulted in a foliated fabric, and (2) the core zones of the Estrop area, characterized by dilatant quartz-mineralized veins and breccia. Fault and host rock petrophysical properties were measured on drill plugs, using the water porosity technique and nitrogen permeability technique under 2 Mpa of confining pressure. In the Moutière-Restefond fault zones, plug axes were oriented in three orthogonal directions corresponding to the main deformation axes (X, Y, Z) of the foliated arkose to characterize the effect of structural anisotropy. In the Estrop fault zones, where deformation does not show equivalent anisotropy, the plug axes were oriented according to the main fault plane orientation (i.e., parallel to azimuth, parallel to dip and normal). In each fault zone, the porosity of fault rocks is equivalent to that of host rocks. In the Moutière-Restefond fault zones, the plugs parallel to the X and Z axes of deformation have a permeability similar to that of the host rocks, whereas permeability parallel to the Y axis (i.e. parallel to the foliation and the main fault plane) is one order of magnitude higher. By contrast, the permeability values in the Estrop fault zones are isotropic and equivalent to the host rock values. This study highlights the importance of various types of deformation mechanisms and related fluid-rock interactions in determining different fault rock types within a similar protolith, ultimately controlling distinct petrophysical properties of fault zones.
Les zones de failles constituent des discontinuités majeures dans la croûte supérieure. Ce mémoire s’intéresse aux failles actives à des profondeurs de 5-8 km, i.e. dans des conditions pouvant jouer un rôle important (i) sur le comportement mécanique de de la croûte, en particulier sur son potentiel sismogénique et (ii) sur la compartimentation des réservoirs géologiques profondément enfouis.Les failles étudiées sont des failles normales (rejet jusqu’à 50 mètres) affectant des alternances de bancs de grès arkosiques et de pélites dans les Grès d’Annot, une formation turbiditique d’âge priabonien-rupélien du bassin d’avant-chaine alpin. Les Grès d’Annot ont été enfouis sous les nappes de l’Embrunais-Ubaye peu de temps après leur dépôt et exhumés au Miocène moyen-supérieur. L’étude a été réalisée dans deux secteurs des Alpes de Haute-Provence, (1) le secteur de l’Estrop (chaine des Trois Evéchés, dans la partie occidentale du bassin) et (2) le secteur de Point Vert-Restefond (alentours du col de la Bonette, dans la partie orientale du bassin). La réflectance de la vitrinite dans les Grès d’Annot indique des températures maximales de 160-190°C dans le secteur (1) et de 240-260 °C dans le secteur (2) , soit des profondeurs d’enfouissement de 5-6 km et 8-10 km, respectivement, dans l’hypothèse d’un gradient géothermique moyen de 25-30°C/km. A partir des observations microstructurales, de données d’inclusions de fluides, de modélisations thermodynamiques sur chlorites syncinématiques et des indices de cristallinité de l’illite, on a établi que les failles du secteur (1) ont fonctionné à une température d’environ 200°C pour une pression de 0.6Kbar et celles du secteur (2) dans une gamme de température de 200-220°C et de pression comprise entre 0.6 et 1.1 Kba. L’activité de la faille de Point-Vert a été datée par la méthode 40Ar/39Ar au Miocène inférieur (21 Ma). Ces failles sont interprétées comme associées aux premiers stades du soulèvement résultant de l’activité des chevauchements dans le socle sous-jacent.Deux types principaux de roches de failles caractérisent les failles étudiées. Les brèches dilatantes sont majoritaires dans les zones de failles du secteur (1) alors que les arkoses foliées sont majoritaires dans les zones de failles du secteur (2). Les brèches dilatantes témoignent de mécanismes de déformation dominés par la fracturation transgranulaire et la pression-solution des silicates. Ce dernier mécanisme se manifeste principalement par d’abondantes précipitations cycliques de quartz, les stylolites restant peu développés. Les géométries structurales sont associées à l’activation de plans T de Riedel déterminant l’ouverture de relais extensifs et un régime localement dilatant. Nous associons ce type de roche de faille à une faible pression effective au cours de la déformation.La déformation cisaillante exprimée dans les arkoses foliées témoigne de mécanismes de déformation dominés par (i) la fracturation intragranulaire et transgranulaire, (ii) la pressionsolution/ précipitation des silicates, principalement le quartz, (iii) la néoformation de micas blancs liée à l’altération des feldspaths et (iv) la précipitation de chlorite. Ce travail montre également que les transformations minéralogiques liées aux interactions fluide-roche dans la zone de faille (forte augmentation de la proportion des phyllosilicates au dépend des feldspaths) changent radicalementla composition minéralogique de la roche. Nous associons ce type de roche de faille à une forte pression effective au cours de la déformation.La pétrophysique montre que les brèches de failles (secteur 1) ont une perméabilité isotrope et équivalente à celle du protolithe (10-3mD sous 2 MPa de confinement) tandis que les roches foliées (secteur 2) montrent une augmentation de perméabilité (10-2mD) selon l’axe Y de la déformation, d’un ordre de grandeur supérieure aux perméabilités suivant les axes X et Z et dans la roche hôte (10-3mD). Ce drain préférentiel potentiel est associé à l’orientation des phyllosilicates dans la foliation.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382

tel-01310382
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01310382/file/Th%C3%A8seCAVAILHES2012.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Debris avalanches derived from the flanks of volcanic islands are among the largest on Earth. Debris avalanches are rare, catastrophic destabilizations that still keep geologists debating about the mechanisms that initiate them and make them travel huge runout distances. To shed light on the trigger of such destabilizations, we studied the inland scar of a debris avalanche deposit cropping out at Piton des Neiges, a dormant and eroded basaltic volcano of La Réunion Island. The avalanche deposit rests on a pile of 50-70 sill intrusions with a shallow northward dip, i.e. toward the sea. We measured the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility in a transect across the uppermost sill of the pile in contact with the avalanche deposit. This transect reveals a strongly asymmetric magnetic fabric, consistent with a north-directed shear movement of the upper intrusion wall. This suggests that the upper sill induced a co-intrusive shear displacement of the volcano flank toward the sea. The upper sill margin in contact with the avalanche is striated, showing that this intrusion is older than the avalanche. Striae indicate a northward direction of avalanche runout. The upper sill margin also displays a magmatic lineation consistent with a magma flow in the intrusion toward the north. There is thus a striking kinematic consistency between the directions of intrusion propagation and avalanche runout, both oriented toward the sea. From the above results, we propose that repeated sill intrusions, such as observed on Piton des Neiges, increase the instability of a volcanic edifice. Each injection induces an incremental slip of the overlying rock mass, which may eventually end up into a landslide. Sill intrusions associated with seaward displacements of volcano flank, such as inferred for the April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise (also in La Réunion), should therefore be considered as a potential trigger of debris avalanches.
Fall meeting
San Francisco, United States

hal-01387002
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01387002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Unravelling the detailed pressure–temperature–time-deformation (P–T–t-D) evolution of magmatic and metamorphic rocks provides essential insights into the timing and duration of partial melting and related plutonism during crustal flow and migmatitic dome formation. The Montagne Noire Axial Zone (MNAZ) is a migmatitic dome located within the Variscan orogen in the southern French Massif Central. The timing of the main thermal event that was responsible for intense partial melting is still highly debated. In this study we present new laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) age data on micaschists, migmatites and granites that clarify the P–T–t-D evolution of the MNAZ. Structurally controlled samples were collected in order to constrain the timing of metamorphism, migmatization and plutonism regarding the main structural pattern D1, D2 and D3. D1 and D2 correspond to nappe stacking and dextral transpression, respectively. D3 is related to vertical shortening and coaxial thinning with a preferential NE–SW- to E–W-directed stretching. LA-ICP-MS analyses on the syntectonic Anglès, Soulié and Martys granites yielded U–Th/Pb monazite ages of 305 ± 1.5, 306 ± 1.9 and 314 ± 2 Ma, respectively. Five migmatitic rocks sampled in the eastern and central Espinouse area yielded in situ ages ranging between 312 ± 2 and 301 ± 2 Ma. Along the dome envelope, two garnet–staurolite-bearing micaschists near Saint-Pons-de-Thomières village gave in situ U–Th–Pb ages of 312.1 ± 2.1 and 309.0 ± 3.1 Ma. A fine-grained gneiss with a D3 fabrics in the eastern dome envelope yield a 208Pb/232Th mean age at 305.7 ± 3.9 Ma. All ages obtained in this study for the micaschists, migmatites and granites range between 315 and 301 Ma. We interpret this time span as the record of the high thermal event responsible for intense crustal partial melting within the lower and middle crust. The onset of partial melting occurred at ca. 315 Ma that marked the beginning of transpressional deformation D2. Based on structural and petrological studies, our new U–Th–Pb results suggest that (1) partial melting may have started at ca. 315 Ma and lasted 15–10 Myr and (2) D2 et D3 developed between 315 and 300 Ma and were synchronous. D1 deformation ended at 315 Ma. The onset and duration of D1 related to nappe stacking and crustal thickening is still uncertain.
ISSN: 1437-3254

hal-01526942
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01526942
DOI : 10.1007/s00531-016-1417-x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
We have analyzed shear wave splitting recorded by portable and permanent broadband and long-period stations located in the eastern United States. Teleseismic shear waves (SKS, SKKS, and PKS) were used to retrieve the splitting parameters: the orientation of the fast wave polarization plane ϕ and the delay time δt. In total, 120 seismic events were processed, allowing for more than 600 splitting measurements. Within the Appalachians, stations located in the western (external) part are characterized by δt≈1s and ϕ trending N50°– 70°E in the south and central regions and N30°–40°E in the north, closely following the trend of the orogenic belt in these areas. The transition region between north and central is characterized by δt≈1–1.3 s and by E-W trending ϕ that are at a high angle to the regional geologic trend. Measurements at two stations located in the eastern (internal) part of the belt indicate very weak anisotropy. The large-scale pattern of anisotropy is not consistent with that predicted for simple asthenospheric flow beneath the plate. Splitting along the southern and eastern margins of the continent is consistent with that expected for Grenvillian deformation, an alternative model of asthenospheric flow around the cratonic keel cannot be ruled out. Within the cratonic core, the correlation between δt and lithospheric thickness suggests a lithospheric anisotropy. Smaller-length-scale variations also argue for a significant contribution of lithospheric structures. The fabric responsible for shear wave splitting may have formed during tectonic episodes that affected the eastern United States, i.e., the Grenville and Appalachian orogenies and the subsequent rifting of the North Atlantic Ocean. Our observations in the western Appalachians suggest that the anisotropy may be preserved since the Grenvillian orogeny. The absence of detectable splitting in the two stations in the eastern Appalachians is attributed to the igneous intrusions related to the Atlantic rifting. The measurements in the transition between the northern and central southern Appalachians, constitute an intriguing anomaly, whose E-W ϕ have little obvious relation to the regional surface geology. We suggest two possible causes: (1) the local dominance of asthenospheric flow, motivated by the proximity of a pervasive low-velocity anomaly and (2) lithospheric deformation in a transcontinental strike-slip fault zone active during the Appalachian collision.
ISSN: 2169-9313

hal-01388859
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388859
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388859/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388859/file/Barruol_JGR_1997.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/96JB03800

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
[1] Based on geological and geophysical data collected from the West Philippine Basin and its boundaries, we propose a comprehensive Cenozoic history of the basin. Our model shows that it is a back arc basin that developed between two opposed subduction zones. Rifting started around 55 Ma and spreading ended at 33/30 Ma. The initial spreading axis was parallel to the paleo-Philippine Arc but became inactive when a new spreading ridge propagated from the eastern part of the basin, reaching the former one at an R-R-R triple junction. Spreading occurred mainly from this second axis, with a quasi-continuous counterclockwise rotation of the spreading direction. The Gagua and Palau-Kyushu ridges acted as transform margins accommodating the opening. Arc volcanism occurred along the Palau-Kyushu Ridge (eastern margin) during the whole opening of the basin, whereas the paleo-Philippine Arc decreased its activity between 43 and 36 Ma. The western margin underwent a compressive event in late Eocene-early Oligocene time, leading to the rising of the Gagua Ridge and to a short subduction episode along Eastern Luzon. In the western part of the basin, the spreading system was highly disorganized due to the presence of a mantle plume. Overlapping spreading centers and ridge jumps occurred toward the hot region and a microplate developed. Shortly after the end of the spreading, a late stage of amagmatic extension occurred between 30 and 26 Ma in the central part of the basin, being responsible for the deep rift valley that cut across the older spreading fabric. Citation: Deschamps, A., and S. Lallemand, The West Philippine Basin: An Eocene to early Oligocene back arc basin opened between two opposed subduction zones,
ISSN: 2169-9313

hal-01261388
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261388
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261388/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261388/file/DeschampsJGR2002.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2001JB001706

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Detailed sedimentological investigations on numerous outcrops and drill-core sections in the 2.1-Ga-old Franceville basin, Gabon, provide evidence for a large-scale injectite network. The injectites were formed by the injection of sands through a thickness of about 150 m of the FB1 Member, and now cover a minimum area of 70 km2 corresponding to the Bangombé plateau, but are also recognized close to Franceville 35 km farther south-east. The injectite lithology corresponds to a mud- or carbonate-supported sandstone characterized by a loose and uncompacted fabric contrasting with the host-rock. Because the injectites are often parallel to subparallel to the stratification, they were misinterpreted as depositional beds by previous authors. At outcrop, the injectite bodies exhibit sill, dyke, wing and protrusive geometries emplaced during early burial within poorly compacted material, with partial wall erosion and dissociation. The source of the sand material is attributed to a channel-levee turbidite depositional system located in the lower part of the FB1 Member. These deposits were buried by a thick biochemical muddy cap deposited during a starvation phase, which increased the seal capacity of the system. This type of architecture has a high potential to develop compaction disequilibrium during burial. Moreover, in the case of the Francevillian injectites, the abundance of microbial organic matter favoured early methane degassing and lateral charging of the sand reservoir. The overpressure in the channels was periodically released during early burial, through the effect of rapid sedimentary and tectonic loading, and possible seismic activity. The fluidized sand was injected according to a symmetrical wing pattern. Thus, the injected masses caused a local decrease in the grade of the lateritic manganese ore deposit of the Bangombé plateau.
ISSN: 0301-9268

hal-01667217
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01667217
DOI : 10.1016/j.precamres.2017.09.022