Éditeur(s) : Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc
Résumé : P>Torsvik et al. recently presented a revised model for the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. According to these authors, this new plate tectonic model is internally consistent and consistent with globally balanced plate motion solutions and takes into account realistic intraplate deformation. However, this model shows a number of kinematic and geological problems that we underline here, together with some comparisons with the new kinematic model recently proposed by Moulin et al.
Geophysical Journal International (0956-540X) (Wiley-blackwell Publishing, Inc), 2010-10 , Vol. 183 , N. 1 , P. 20-28

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12504/9878.pdf
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2010.04727.x
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00014/12504/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
Because of its essential role in coupling climate and tectonics, denudation is a key parameter when constraining the history of Earth’s surface. This is particularly true at the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, and the potential impact of the onset of Quaternary glaciations remains strongly debated. In the present study, we measured in situ cosmogenic 10Be within continuous late Cenozoic sedimentary sections that had already been dated using magnetostratigraphy. The new data were obtained from four sedimentary basins in the northern and southern Tianshan range (Central Asia). We first thoroughly discuss how in situ cosmogenic 10Be concentrations can be corrected for radioactive decay and for the contribution of postdepositional cosmogenic accumulation to derive the paleo–denudation rates. Our analysis shows that, in the four sedimentary records, the potential bias remains low enough to consider the derived denudation rates reliable. The four records, although likely influenced by local particularities due to lithological heterogeneity and local tectonics, display similar trends of continuously increasing denudation between ca. 9 Ma and the present. These rates have remained relatively high but steady since 4 Ma, ∼1.5 m.y. before the onset of the Quaternary glacial cycles. Though the rejuvenation of the Tianshan range since 11 Ma may explain most of the progressive increase (×5) in denudation, our data suggest that the Quaternary glaciations had only a limited impact on denudation in the Tianshan. Our data, however, indicate an increase in the spatial and high-frequency variability (<1 m.y.) of the denudation rates between 3 and 1 Ma. This may correspond to a transient readjustment of the landscape in response to the onset of Quaternary glacial cycles.
ISSN: 0016-7606

hal-01685766
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01685766
DOI : 10.1130/B31475.1

Éditeur(s) : Amer Geophysical Union
Résumé : A tectonic model of the evolution of the northern half of the South Fiji Basin, including the Minerva Triple Junction and Cook Fracture Zone, is developed from regional gravity, multibeam bathymetry, and a new interpretation of magnetic anomalies pinned to radiometric dates of oceanic crust in the basin. The geometry and age of a portion of the Minerva Triple Junction and the Cook-Minerva spreading center (the connection from the triple junction to the Cook Fracture Zone, which accommodated coeval opening of the Norfolk Basin), are resolved with multibeam bathymetry and magnetics. The South Fiji Basin opened from about 34 to 15 Ma in an anticlockwise sweep about an Euler pole located at the northern end of the present Lau Ridge. This rotation and a rigidly straight southeastward motion of the Three Kings Ridge were accommodated by the configuration of the triple junction changing from ridge-fault-fault to ridge-ridge-fault to ridge-ridge-ridge. During this evolution the southeastern arm of the system, the Julia Fracture Zone, underwent several transformations and the Cook-Minerva spreading center experienced repeated ridge jumps. The kinematics of the northern South Fiji Basin dictate, to a large extent, the evolution of the southern South Fiji Basin and the Norfolk Basin. This in turn leads to the interpretation of a complex trench-trench-double transform fault framework at the northern New Zealand margin, which explains most aspects of the geology, structure, and arc volcanic history of the margin and provides a radical new setting for the origin of the Northland Allochthon.
Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems (1525-2027) (Amer Geophysical Union), 2011-02 , Vol. 12 , N. Q02004 , P. 1-20

Droits : 2011 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14112/11362.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2010GC003291
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14112/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of London
Résumé : We have applied transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses coupled with viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) numerical modelling to identify the active slip systems and to better understand the crystal preferred orientation (CPO) development of the Torridon quartz mylonite (NW Scotland). TEM analyses showed evidence of activation of 1/3〈a〉{π′}, 1/3〈a〉{z} and possible 〈a〉(c) slip systems, as well as dislocation climb and dynamic recrystallization. All the CPOs generated by VPSC models share common characteristics with the Torridon quartz mylonite, but only Models 2 and 3 reproduce the [c]-axes maxima at low angle (<20°) to the foliation pole along the YZ plane, as observed in the mylonite. In Model 2, this concentration only occurs at γ≥2.6, whereas in Model 3 this maxima occurs at lower shear strains. The models that start with a previous preferred orientation acquire very strong CPOs after small-imposed strains, followed by the rapid rotation of the fabric in relation to the new imposed finite strain axes. The combined activation of 〈a〉{π′}, 〈a〉{z} and possibly 〈a〉(c) slip systems, as demonstrated by TEM analyses, suggests that the VPSC model that best predicts CPO development in the Torridon quartz mylonite is Model 2, where the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) of 〈a〉{π/π′} is assumed to be slightly stronger than 〈a〉(c).
Deformation Mechanisms, Rheology and Tectonics: Microstructures, Mechanics and Anisotropy

hal-00688840
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00688840

Éditeur(s) : Actes de colloques. Ifremer. Brest [ACTES COLLOQ. IFREMER.]. 1991
Résumé : On the bathyal slope for continental margins, steep and rocky substrates punctuated with cliffs and collapsing zones are frequently found. As survey and sampling with the classical technics from the sea surface is practically impossible in such an environment, in situ exploration with a submersible allows significant advances in ecology, with implications in paleoenvironment reconstruction. Mixing of material from shallow-water and deep-sea origins into bathyal sedimentation suggests that the so-called "fossil assemblages of outer platform" were frequently misinterpreted. Dense populations of animals closely related to fossil groups which were only considered as relict of the Past ("living fossils") and previously interpreted as shallow-water inhabitants during geological times can be discovered living in such bathyal communities. The role of bathyal ecological niches during global bioevents brings a new vision of the history of life in the Ocean through geological time and has to be further investigated. Examples from cruises monitoring the diving saucer Cyana (SP 3000) in the Bay of Biscay and off New Caledonia are given.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/1990/acte-1138.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1138/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
The way faults control upward fluid flow in nonmagmatic hydrothermal systems in extensional context is still unclear. In the Eastern Pyrénées, an alignment of twenty-nine hot springs (29 ∘ C to 73 ∘ C), along the normal Têt fault, offers the opportunity to study this process. Using an integrated multiscale geological approach including mapping, remote sensing, and macro-and microscopic analyses of fault zones, we show that emergence is always located in crystalline rocks at gneiss-metasediments contacts, mostly in the Têt fault footwall. The hot springs distribution is related to high topographic reliefs, which are associated with fault throw and segmentation. In more detail, emergence localizes either (1) in brittle fault damage zones at the intersection between the Têt fault and subsidiary faults or (2) in ductile faults where dissolution cavities are observed along foliations, allowing juxtaposition of metasediments. Using these observations and 2D simple numerical simulation, we propose a hydrogeological model of upward hydrothermal flow. Meteoric fluids, infiltrated at high elevation in the fault footwall relief, get warmer at depth because of the geothermal gradient. Topography-related hydraulic gradient and buoyancy forces cause hot fluid rise along permeability anisotropies associated with lithological juxtapositions, fracture, and fault zone compositions.
ISSN: 1468-8115

hal-01582968
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968/document
https://hal-brgm.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01582968/file/Taillefer_et_al_Geofluids_2017.pdf
DOI : 10.1155/2017/8190109

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
Mechanisms that control seismic activity in low strain rate areas such as western Europe remain poorly understood. For example, in spite of low shortening rates of <0.5 mm/ yr, the Western Alps and the Pyrenees are underlain by moderate but frequent seismicity detectable by instruments. Beneath the elevated part of these mountain ranges, analysis of earthquake focal mechanisms indicates extension, which is commonly interpreted as the result of gravitational collapse. Here we show that erosional processes are the predominant control on present-day deformation and seismicity. We demonstrate, using fi nite element modeling, that erosion induces extension and rock uplift of the elevated region of mountain ranges accommodating relatively low overall convergence. Our results suggest that an erosion rate of ~1 mm/yr can lead to extension in mountain ranges accommodating signifi cant shortening of <3 mm/yr. Based on this study, the seismotectonic framework and seismic hazard assessment for low strain rate areas need to be revisited, because erosion-related earthquakes could increase seismic hazard.
ISSN: 0091-7613

insu-00817341
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00817341
DOI : 10.1130/G33942.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
The Tian Shan Mountains constitute central Asia's longest and highest mountain range. Understanding their Cenozoic uplift history thus bears on mountain building processes in general, and on how deformation has occurred under the influence of the India-Asia collision in particular. In order to help decipher the uplift history of the Tian Shan, we collected 970 samples for magnetostratigraphic analysis along a 4571-m-thick section at the Jingou River (Xinjiang Province, China). Stepwise alternating field and thermal demagnetization isolate a linear magnetization component that is interpreted as primary. From this component, a magnetostratigraphic column composed of 67 polarity chrons are correlated with the reference geomagnetic polarity timescale between ~1 Ma and ~23.6 Ma, with some uncertainty below ~21 Ma. This correlation places precise temporal control on the Neogene stratigraphy of the southern Junggar Basin and provides evidence for two significant stepwise increases in sediment accumulation rate at ~16–15 Ma and ~11–10 Ma. Rock magnetic parameters also undergo important changes at ~16–15 Ma and ~11–10 Ma that correlate with changes in sedimentary depositional environments. Together with previous work, we conclude that growth history of the modern Tian Shan Mountains includes two pulses of uplift and erosion at ~16–15 Ma and ~11–10 Ma. Middle to upper Tertiary rocks around the Tian Shan record very young (<~5 Ma) counterclockwise paleomagnetic rotations, on the order of 15° to 20°, which are interpreted as because of strain partitioning with a component of sinistral shear that localized rotations in the piedmont.
ISSN: 0278-7407

insu-00376345
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00376345
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00376345/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00376345/file/2007TC002137.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2007TC002137

Éditeur(s) : John Wiley & Sons
Résumé : Based on all available seismic refraction data, the seismic structure of the Western Approaches to the English Channel and the South Armorican continental shelf has been established. The correlation of seismic velocities showed a three-fold structure, related to geological layers as follows: 1. High-velocity, deep sequence (4.4-6.6km/sec): metamorphic basement and Lower to Middle Palaeozoic. 2. Intermediate sequence (3.6-4.3km/sec): Permo-Triassic (and Jurassic?) and possibly also Lower Cretaceous on the margin of the Western Approaches. 3. Upper sequence (1.9-3.6km/sec): Cretaceous and Cenozoic sediments. An acoustic unconformity appears to be present between the Upper sequence and the High velocity and Intermediate sequences. Different geomorphology characterizes these layers: the Palaeozoic is tectonized and generally follows the Hercynian structural trends; mainly Permo-Triassic sediments fill the depressions of the Palaeozoic floor, but only in the Western Approaches; eastwards-transgressive Cretaceous and Cenozoic sediments cover discordantly the preceding layers. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]
Petroleum and the continental shelf of North-west Europe (John Wiley & Sons), 1975 , P. 29-43

Droits : John Wiley & Sons
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/1975/publication-5465.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/5465/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Aim To examine variation in the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of tree communities across geographical and environmental gradients in Amazonia.Location Two hundred and eighty-three c.1ha forest inventory plots from across Amazonia.Methods We evaluated PD as the total phylogenetic branch length across species in each plot (PDss), the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between species (MPD), the mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) and their equivalents standardized for species richness (ses.PDss, ses.MPD, ses.MNTD). We compared PD of tree communities growing (1) on substrates of varying geological age; and (2) in environments with varying ecophysiological barriers to growth and survival.Results PDss is strongly positively correlated with species richness (SR), whereas MNTD has a negative correlation. Communities on geologically young- and intermediate-aged substrates (western and central Amazonia respectively) have the highest SR, and therefore the highest PDss and the lowest MNTD. We find that the youngest and oldest substrates (the latter on the Brazilian and Guiana Shields) have the highest ses.PDss and ses.MNTD. MPD and ses.MPD are strongly correlated with how evenly taxa are distributed among the three principal angiosperm clades and are both highest in western Amazonia. Meanwhile, seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) and forests on white sands have low PD, as evaluated by any metric.Main conclusions High ses.PDss and ses.MNTD reflect greater lineage diversity in communities. We suggest that high ses.PDss and ses.MNTD in western Amazonia results from its favourable, easy-to-colonize environment, whereas high values in the Brazilian and Guianan Shields may be due to accumulation of lineages over a longer period of time. White-sand forests and SDTF are dominated by close relatives from fewer lineages, perhaps reflecting ecophysiological barriers that are difficult to surmount evolutionarily. Because MPD and ses.MPD do not reflect lineage diversity per se, we suggest that PDss, ses.PDss and ses.MNTD may be the most useful diversity metrics for setting large-scale conservation priorities.
ISSN: 1366-9516

hal-01557462
https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/hal-01557462
DOI : 10.1111/ddi.12357

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We describe an experimental system including monitoring of temperature, pressure, pH, oxidation reduction potential and optical density at 600 nm, designed for studying the role of microorganisms on the geological sequestration Of CO2 and its transformation into solid carbonate phases. Measurements were performed in an artificial ground water (AGW) supplemented with urea (2 g.l(-1)) and equilibrated at controlled temperatures with a gaseous phase before bacterial inoculation. We used the ureolytic strain Bacillus pasteurii as a model carbonate precipitating bacteria and showed that it can successfully promote strong pH increases by ureolysis in the AGW equilibrated with CO2 pressures of up to I bar. Increasing salinities (5.8,13.5 and 35.0 g.l(-1)) have a positive effect on the rate of pH increase, whereas the effect of increasing temperatures (30,35 and 38 degrees C) is less important. Calcium is also shown to have a specific positive influence on the rate of ureolysis. The number of viable cells present in solution decreases greatly during the carbonate precipitation event but the population partially recovers once precipitation is over.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-00445282
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00445282
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2008.12.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In this paper, we present new data from 226Ra–230Th dating and archaeomagnetism with the aim of improving the knowledge of the flank eruptions that occurred at Mt Etna during the Greek–Roman and Early Medieval periods, as defined in the new geological map of the volcano. The combination of the two dating techniques demonstrates that three major flank eruptions occurred on the lower north and west flanks during Greek–Roman epochs, producing large scoria cones and extensive lava flows. In particular, the Mt Ruvolo and Mt Minardo events highly impacted the territory of the west flank, notably by damming the Simeto River. The new data of the Millicucco and Due Monti lava flows, on the lower north–east flank, indicate a younger age than their stratigraphic ages quoted in the 2011 geological map, since they occurred around 700 and 500 AD, respectively. None of the large flank eruptions occurring on the lower slopes of Etna during the Early Medieval age are reported in the historical sources. Overall, our paper shows that a comprehensive assessment of eruptions at Mount Etna in the last three millennia can only be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach.
ISSN: 0377-0273

hal-01277929
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01277929
DOI : 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2015.09.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
A suite of eclogite xenoliths from the Roberts Victor kimberlite (South Africa) is remarkable for its high abundances of base metal sulfides (BMS; up to 2 modal %). However, while sulfides are nearly ubiquitous in Type I eclogites (garnet > 0.07% Na2O), Type II eclogites (garnet < 0.07% Na2O) systematically lack sulfides. Two different sulfide assemblages are recognised within the Type I xenolith suite. Both populations are polyphase Cu-Ni-Fe sulfides, one characterised by the pyrrhotite (Po) + pentlandite (Pn) + chalcopyrite (Cp) assemblage and the other by the smythite/violarite (Smy/Vi) + (Ni)pyrite (Py) + Cp assemblage. The latter is the most abundant assemblage and reflects the supergene alteration of the "primary" Po + Pn + Cp assemblage. This process overprints the original composition of the sulfides by remobilising elements such as S, Fe, Ni, Se and Te. In the Type I eclogites, BMS occur as inclusions within silicates (garnet and clinopyroxene) and as interstitial grains. No chemical differences were observed between enclosed and interstitial sulfides. However, their relative abundances are correlated, indicating a similar origin. The Po + Pn + Cp assemblage is identical to eclogitic sulfides previously described in some Roberts Victor diamonds. Silicate-enclosed sulfides could appear to be early phases, but they are restricted to the outer parts of the silicate grains, suggesting a late incorporation during partial recrystallisation of silicate phases, induced by fluid-rock percolation-reaction during a metasomatic event. Positive whole-rock correlations between Se and (La/Sm)N⁎ and between Cu and ΣLREEN⁎ indicate a direct link between sulfide content and the enrichment of Mg + incompatible elements in the Type I eclogites, further supporting a metasomatic origin of the sulfide component. Similarly, a negative correlation between ΣLREEN⁎ and Cucpx implies that the metasomatic agent was at least partially composed of S-rich fluid (e.g. H2S, SO2) that reacted with the rock and leached Cu out of the silicates. The coupling between sulfides and LREE in the Type I eclogites, as well as the absence of sulfides and metasomatic features (e.g. unequilibrated grain boundaries, melt pockets, fluid inclusions, phlogopite) in the Type II eclogites, demonstrate that Type II eclogites did not undergo such a metasomatic event and therefore may represent the less-modified protoliths of Type I eclogites.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-00903856
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00903856
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2013.06.015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
his study describes the structural setting, petrogenesis, and geochronology of a suite of acidic magmatic rocks that are intruded in the metamorphic core of the Tertiary ophiolitic suture zone of the Sabzevar Range, NE central Iran. These intrusive bodies show tabular geometries with solid-state fabrics documenting syntectonic emplacement during crustal shortening. In the total alkalis-silica (TAS) diagram, their compositions define a medium-K calc-alkaline suite, spanning from basaltic andesite to the dacite and rhyolite fields. They show characteristic low MgO (0.15–0.60 wt%) and Ni (<20 ppm), high Sr contents, a negligible Eu anomaly, and extremely fractionated rare earth element (REEs), with high La/Yb and Sr/Y (up to 900) ratios, but very low Yb and Y contents. They also show zircon Hf isotope compositions compatible with a mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB)–type oceanic crust. Inverse and forward thermobarometry constrains conditions of magma crystallization in the upper-pressure field of the amphibolite facies (ca. 1.2–1.5 GPa and 750 °C). Integrated U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar white mica and amphibole geochronology constrains the Sabzevar magmatism to the late Paleocene (at ca. 58 Ma). Genesis of the Sabzevar magmatic suite is interpreted in terms of prograde, wet amphibolite melting during oceanic subduction, within a pressure-temperature range between a plagioclase-out and a hornblende-out boundary. Magma differentiation and high-pressure amphibole fractionation of pristine slab melts are proposed as the dominant factors that imparted the adakite signature in the Sabzevar structural zone. Implications in terms of the regional tectonic scenario are discussed and framed within the advancing and retreating evolution of the Neotethyan subduction during the Mesozoic–Tertiary time span.
ISSN: 0016-7606

hal-01122824
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01122824
DOI : 10.1130/B30913.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Report
From 2003 to 2006, the Earth Sciences Sector of Natural Resources Canada conducted a study of the sensitivity of the Roberts Bank tidal flats and marsh to rising sea level, under the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Program (Project A600). The study was a multi-disciplinary effort involving geologists, biologists and social scientists comprising a scientific study of the tidal flat environment and a stakeholder engagement process. The results of the work were presented at a Final Stakeholder Workshop on 24 March 2006 and compiled into a preliminary report distributed to the major stakeholders.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856757

hal-00856757
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856757
DOI : 10.4095/292672

Éditeur(s) : The Oceanography Society
Résumé : Submarine hydrocarbon seeps are geologically driven "hotspots" of increased biological activity on the seabed. As part of the HERMES project, several sites of natural hydrocarbon seepage in the European seas were investigated in detail, including mud volcanoes and pockmarks, in study areas extending from the Nordic margin, to the Gulf of Cadiz, to the Mediterranean and Black seas. High-resolution seabed maps and the main properties of key seep sites are presented here. Individual seeps show ecosystem zonation related to the strength of the methane flux and distinct biogeochemical processes in surface sediments. A feature common to many seeps is the formation of authigenic carbonate constructions. These constructions exhibit various morphologies ranging from large pavements and fragmented slabs to chimneys and mushroom-shaped mounds, and they form hard substrates colonized by fixed fauna. Gas hydrate dissociation could contribute to sustain seep chemosynthetic communities over several thousand years following large gas-release events.
Oceanography (1042-8275) (The Oceanography Society), 2009-03 , Vol. 22 , N. 1 , P. 92-109

Droits : 2009 by The Oceanography Society. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to copy this article for use in teaching and research. Republication, systemmatic reproduction, or collective redistirbution of any portion of this article by photocopy machine, reposting, or other means is permitted only with the approval of The Oceanography Society. Send all correspondence to: info@tos.org or The Oceanography Society, PO Box 1931, Rockville, MD 20849-1931, USA.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6387.pdf
DOI:10.5670/oceanog.2009.11
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6387/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : We present whole-rock major- and trace-element and Nd–Sr–Pb radiogenic isotope data for Cretaceous igneous suites from eastern Cuba. These rocks are related to the Greater Antilles paleo-island arc magmatism and have three different igneous styles. Group 1 consists of tholeiitic basalts and rare basaltic andesites that have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-like compositions similar to those found in back-arc basin basalts (TiO2 = 1·2–2·9 wt%; La/Yb(N) = 0·7–0·9, Th/Nb = 0·06–0·08, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·65–37·74). Group 2 comprises basaltic and rare basaltic andesitic subvolcanic dykes with major- and trace-element and isotopic compositions similar to those of island arc tholeiites (TiO2 = 0·7–1·4 wt%; La/Yb(N) = 0·6–0·9, Th/Nb = 0·06–0·68, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·74–38·25). Group 3 is composed of low-Ti (TiO2 = 0·3–0·9 wt%) calcalkaline igneous rocks that have an unambiguous subduction-related character (La/Yb(N) = 1·1–5·0, Th/Nb = 0·35–1·55, and initial 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37·94–38·39). The parental magmas of the three groups formed by variable melting degrees (< 5–25%) of spinel lherzolite, with more depleted mantle sources for Groups 2 and 3 than Group 1. The trace-element and radiogenic isotope compositions of primitive Group 3 samples are strongly bimodal. One subgroup of samples is characterized by low Ta/Yb (0·02–0·03) and Th/La (0·10–0·13), slightly subchondritic Nb/Ta (13·3–17·3), and relatively high initial 206Pb/204Pb (18·57–18·62) and {varepsilon}Nd (7·6–9·4). The remaining primitive Group 3 samples have higher Ta/Yb (0·06–0·11) and Th/La (0·24–0·32), and highly subchondritic Nb/Ta (7·6–9·1), coupled with lower initial 206Pb/204Pb (18·24–18·29) and {varepsilon}Nd (3·4–5·5). These signatures were induced by two distinct slab components that mainly reflect the contributions of Cretaceous Atlantic marine and North American continental sediments, respectively. Nb/Ta in the first subgroup was influenced by melting of rutile-bearing subducted crust, whereas in the second it was inherited from recycled continental sediments. The involvement of Atlantic and North American sediments in Cuban Cretaceous magmatism indicates that the Proto-Caribbean (North American-Proto Atlantic) lithosphere subducted beneath the Greater Antilles arc during the Late Cretaceous (pre-Campanian), consistent with geotectonic models involving onset of SW-dipping subduction beneath the Greater Antilles paleo-arc during the Aptian. The variable mantle source depletion and magnitude of the subduction component probably reflect different settings across the arc, from the arc front to a back-arc spreading ridge.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00406373
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00406373
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egm040

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present evidence that GPS velocity estimates of plate motions and fault slip rates agree to within uncertainties with geologic estimates during the most recent phase of the geologic evolution of the E Mediterranean region (post-Late Miocene). On this basis, we use the GPS differential velocities to estimate the timing of initiation of the principal structures in NW Turkey, the N Aegean Sea, and central Greece, including, the Marmara Sea, the Gulfs of Evia (GoE) and Corinth (GoC). and the Kephalonia Transform fault (KTF). We interpret these ages to indicate that the North Anatolian fault propagated across the N Aegean, opening the GoE and GoC and initiating the KTF, during the past 1-4 Ma. We further suggest that Aegean extension that was earlier more distributed across the Aegean Basin became focused on this new fault system allowing the southern Aegean and Peloponnisos to translate SW with little internal deformation, as observed today with GPS. This change in tectonic configuration may account for the clear geologic evidence for crustal thinning throughout the S Aegean in apparent contradiction with low present-day strain rates. We further show that the low present-day strain rate along the southern edge of the Aegean micro-plate requires substantial aseismic slip along the plate interface below Crete, consistent with the low level of historic, subduction-type earthquakes along this segment of the subduction zone.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00512634
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00512634
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2009.05.027

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
We herein focus on understanding what controls the detachment and migration of oceanic crustal slices along subduction zones. We provide evidence for the coeval Middle to Late Cretaceous exhumation of oceanic blueschists in the same Neotethyan subduction zone, across more than 3000 km, from depths around 30-40 km, over a short time interval (similar to 25 Ma) compared to the duration of subduction (>100 Ma). We stress the importance of such a geodynamic process and suggest that this exhumation was promoted by a regional-scale change in the long-term interplate mechanical coupling. On the basis of geological and geophysical evidence, we propose that the upward migration of oceanic fragments in subduction zones is normally inhibited and only occurs discontinuously, as the subduction channel opens up in response to a major change in plate geodynamics, slab geometry and dynamics, mantle wedge and slab hydration, or a combination of these.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00420898
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420898
DOI : 10.1029/2009GC002428

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Different applications of linear elasticity in structural geology are presented in this thesis through the development of three types of numerical computer codes. The first one uses forward modeling to study displacement and perturbed stress fields around complexly faulted regions. We show that incorporating inequality constraints, such as static Coulomb friction, enables one to explain the angle of initiation of jogs in extensional relays. Adding heterogeneous material properties and optimizations, such as parallelization on multicore architectures and complexity reduction, admits more complex models. The second type deals with inverse modeling, also called parameter estimation. Linear slip inversion on faults with complex geometry, as well as paleo-stress inversion using a geomechanical approach, are developed. The last type of numerical computer code is dedicated to restoration of complexly folded and faulted structures. It is shown that this technique enables one to check balanced cross-sections, and also to retrieve fault chronology. Finally, we show that this code allows one to smooth noisy 3D interpreted faulted and folded horizons using geomechanics.
Différentes applications de l'élasticité linéaire en géologie structurale sont présentées dans cette thèse à travers le développement de trois types de codes numériques. Le premier utilise la modélisation directe pour étudier les déplacements et champs de contraintes autour de zones faillées complexes. On montre que l'ajout de contraintes inégalitaires, telles que la friction de Coulomb, permet d'expliquer l'angle d'initiation des dominos dans les relais extensifs. L'ajout de matériaux hétérogènes et d'optimisations, telles la parallélisation sur processeurs multi-coeurs ainsi que la réduction de complexité des modèles, permettent l'étude de modèles beaucoup plus complexes. Le second type de code numérique utilise la modélisation inverse, aussi appelée estimation de paramètres. L'inversion linéaire de déplacements sur les failles ainsi que la détermination de paléo-contraintes utilisant une approche géomécanique sont développées. Le dernier type de code numérique concerne la restauration de structures complexes plissées et faillées. Il est notamment montré qu'une telle méthode permet de vérifier l'équilibre de coupes géologiques, ainsi que de retrouver la chronologie des failles. Finalement, nous montrons que ce même code permet de lisser des horizons 3D faillés, plissés et bruités en utilisant la géomécanique.
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