Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
A dense network of seismic stations has been deployed on the Kaapvaal craton (South Africa) to investigate the upper mantle seismic structures. In order to bring independent petrophysical constraints, we analyze a direct sampling of the cratonic upper mantle and determine the seismic properties of 48 mantle nodules brought up to the Earth's surface by kimberlite eruptions. Seismic properties of these nodules are calculated from the olivine and pyroxene crystal preferred orientations and the single crystal elastic constants. Despite variations in the nodules compositions, microstructures and crystallographic preferred orientations, seismic anisotropy is rather homogeneous throughout the craton. Mean S-wave anisotropy is weak (2.64 %), which is compatible with the small measured SKS wave splitting (mean delay time of 0.62 s).
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-01389119
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389119
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389119/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389119/file/BenIsmail_GRL_kaapvaal_GRL2001.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2000GL012419

Éditeur(s) : American Geophysical Union
Résumé : Magmatism associated with subducting plate edges or slab tears has been suggested in the southern Okinawa Trough. The cross back-arc volcanic trail, which consists of a cluster of about 70 seamounts, is located above a Ryukyu slab tear lying along the 123.3°E meridian. In November 2003, more than 3300 earthquakes recorded in this area by 15 ocean bottom seismometers and surrounding land stations during a period of 12 days were used to determine the three-dimensional Vp and Vs velocity structures and Vp/Vs ratios. A mantle inflow characterized by low Vp and Vs and high Vp/Vs passing through the slab tear is imaged. The fluid and/or melt component is rising obliquely from the slab tear in the directions of the cross back-arc volcanic trail, the northern slope of the southern Okinawa Trough and to north of Iriomote Island. The asthenospheric intake is also imaged by an inclined chip-like high Vp/Vs and low Vp and Vs body dipping northerly, which might be linked to the slab retreat. West of the slab tear, most of the earthquakes are located around low Vp and Vs and high Vp/Vs bodies, which suggests that the seismicity is related to magmatic and/or fluid activities. East of it, earthquakes are concentrated in an area characterized by high Vp and Vs velocities and low Vp/Vs, suggesting that the magma chamber is absent beneath the axial part of the trough and that normal faulting is the main factor controlling the seismicity.
Journal of Geophysical Research ( JGR ) - Solid earth (0148-0227) (American Geophysical Union), 2007-08 , Vol. 112 , N. B8 , P. NIL_13-NIL_32

Droits : 2007 AGU
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2007/publication-3032.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2006JB004703
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/3032/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Interactions between deformation and melt percolation yield important consequences for the evolution of the mantle lithosphere, controlling its composition and mechanical behavior. In the Lherz massif (Pyrenees, France), the analysis of structural relationships between harzburgites, lherzolites and pyroxenites and of the crystal-preferred orientations (CPO) of olivine and pyroxenes highlights a strong feedback between percolation of basaltic melts and deformation under near-solidus conditions at the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary. Elongated harzburgite bodies up to tens of meters wide, which are the remnants of an old lithospheric mantle, preserve a constant foliation. This foliation is locally outlined by cm-scale flattened websteritic lenses. At the contact with the enclosing lherzolites, the harzburgite foliation is crosscut by the lherzolites foliation and by cm-wide websterite bands parallel to the contact. Strain intensity in the lherzolites increases with distance to the harzburgites. Based on these observations, we propose that reactive percolation was synchronous to the deformation and propose that variations in instantaneous melt fraction, due to pyroxenes and spinel crystallization during reactive melt transport, guided strain localization. Accordingly, the observed decrease in olivine CPO intensity and change in CPO patterns from harzburgites to distal lherzolites are interpreted as recording changes in the relative contribution of dislocation glide and diffusion processes, which is ruled by a balance between the instantaneous melt fraction and the local strain rate. We also propose that the pervasive websteritic layering in the refertilized lherzolites may result from deformation-assisted melt segregation in a system with decreasing permeability due to refertilization reactions. Finally, we discuss the possible timing and geodynamical context of the refertilization episode.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00411724
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411724
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.053

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
The northern Canadian Cordillera (NCC) is an active orogenic belt in northwestern Canada characterized by deformed autochtonous and allochtonous structures that were emplaced in successive episodes of convergence since the Late Cretaceous. Seismicity and crustal deformation are concentrated along corridors located far (>200 to ~800 km) from the convergent plate margin. Proposed geodynamic models require information on crust and mantle structure and strain history, which are poorly constrained. We calculate receiver functions using 66 broadband seismic stations within and around the NCC and process them to estimate Moho depth and P-to-S velocity ratio (Vp/Vs) of the Cordilleran crust. We also perform a harmonic decomposition to determine the anisotropy of the subsurface layers. From these results, we construct simple seismic velocity models at selected stations and simulate receiver function data to constrain crust and uppermost mantle structure and anisotropy. Our results indicate a relatively flat and sharp Moho at 32 ± 2 km depth and crustal Vp/Vs of 1.75 ± 0.05. Seismic anisotropy is pervasive in the upper crust and within a thin (~10–15 km thick) sub-Moho layer. The modeled plunging slow axis of hexagonal symmetry of the upper crustal anisotropic layer may reflect the presence of fractures or mica-rich mylonites. The subhorizontal fast axis of hexagonal anisotropy within the sub-Moho layer is generally consistent with the SE-NW orientation of large-scale tectonic structures. These results allow us to revise the geodynamic models proposed to explain active deformation within the NCC.
ISSN: 2169-9313

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
hal-01685550
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01685550
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01685550/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01685550/file/Tarayoun_et_al-2017-Journalsur Geophysical_Research__Solid_Earth.pdf
DOI : 10.1002/2017JB014284

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Metamorphic soles correspond to m to 500m thick tectonic slices welded beneath most of the large-scale ophiolites.They typically show a steep inverted metamorphic structure where the pressure and temperature conditions ofcrystallization increase upward (from 500100ºC at 0.50.2 GPa to 800100ºC at 1.00.2 GPa), with isogradssubparallel to the contact with the overlying ophiolitic peridotite. The proportion of mafic rocks in metamorphicsoles also increases from the bottom (meta-sediments rich) to the top (approaching the ophiolite peridotites). Thesesoles are interpreted as the result of heat transfer from the incipient mantle wedge toward the nascent slab (associatedwith large-scale fluid transfer and possible shear heating) during the first My of intra-oceanic subduction(as indicated by radiometric ages). Metamorphic soles provide therefore major constraints on early subductiondynamics (i.e. thermal structure, fluid migration and rheology along the nascent slab interface).We present a detailed structural and petrological study of the metamorphic sole from 4 major cross-sections alongthe Oman ophiolite. We show precise pressure–temperature estimates obtained by pseudosection modelling andEBSD measurements performed on both the garnet-bearing and garnet-free high-grade sole. Results allow quantificationof the micro-scale deformation and highlight differences in pressure–temperature–deformation conditionsbetween the 4 different locations, showing that the inverted metamorphic gradient through the sole is not continuousin all locations.Based on these new constraints, we suggest a new tectonic–petrological model for the formation of metamorphicsoles below ophiolites. This model involves the stacking of several homogeneous slivers of oceanic crust leadingto the present-day structure of the sole. In this view, these thrusts are the result of rheological contrasts between thesole and the peridotite as the plate interface progressively cools down. These slivers later underwent several stagesof retrogression (partly mediated by ascending fluids from the slab) from amphibolite- to prehnite/pumpellite-faciesconditions.
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vienne, Austria

insu-01309369
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01309369

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Joint inversions are now commonly used in the earth sciences. They have been developed to better understand the structure of the earth, since they provide more constraints on the inverted parameters. We propose a new process to simultaneously invert several data sets in order to better image 3D crustal and upper mantle structures. Our inversion uses three kinds of data that present good complementarity: (1) P-wave receiver functions to provide Moho depth variations, (2) teleseismic delay times of P-waves to retrieve velocity anomalies in the crust and the upper mantle, and (3) gravity anomalies to image density variations at the lithospheric scale. We use a stochastic scheme, where receiver functions are first inverted. The interpolated resulting Moho depths are incorporated as a priori information into the joint inversion of teleseismic delay times and gravity anomalies process. Moreover, velocity and density can be linked by empirical relationships, which justifies the joint inversion of those parameters. In our stochastic approach, we perform a model space search for Moho variations, P-velocity, and density structure to find an acceptable fit to the three data sets. In order to preferentially sample the good data fit regions, we chose the neighborhood algorithm of Sambridge to optimistically survey the model space. We model the delay times with 3D raytracing using evenly spaced velocity-density nodes. We present here the first results given by this method on synthetic tests. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN: 0098-3004

hal-00643158
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00643158
DOI : 10.1016/j.cageo.2010.11.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The presence of two regional seismic networks in southeastern France provides us high-quality data to investigate upper mantle flow by measuring the splitting of teleseismic shear waves induced by seismic anisotropy. The 10 three-component and broadband stations installed in Corsica, Provence, and western Alps efficiently complete the geographic coverage of anisotropy measurements performed in southern France using temporary experiments deployed on geodynamic targets such as the Pyrenees and the Massif Central. Teleseismic shear waves (mainly SKS and SKKS) are used to determine the splitting parameters: the fast polarization direction and the delay time. Delay times ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 s have been observed at most sites, but some larger delay times, above 2.0 s, have been observed at some stations, such as in northern Alps or Corsica, suggesting the presence of high strain zones in the upper mantle. The azimuths of the fast split shear waves define a simple and smooth pattern, trending homogeneously WNW–ESE in the Nice area and progressively rotating to NW–SE and to NS for stations located further North in the Alps. This pattern is in continuity with the measurements performed in the southern Massif Central and could be related to a large asthenospheric flow induced by the rotation of the Corsica–Sardinia lithospheric block and the retreat of the Apenninic slab. We show that seismic anisotropy nicely maps the route of the slab from the initial rifting phase along the Gulf of Lion (30–22 Ma) to the drifting of the Corsica–Sardinia lithospheric block accompanied by the creation of new oceanic lithosphere in the Liguro–Provençal basin (22–17 Ma). In the external and internal Alps, the pattern of the azimuth of the fast split waves follows the bend of the alpine arc. We propose that the mantle flow beneath this area could be influenced or perhaps controlled by the Alpine deep penetrative structures and that the Alpine lithospheric roots may have deflected part of the horizontal asthenospheric flow around its southernmost tip.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00109313
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00109313
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00109313/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00109313/file/barruol_TGRS_Tphy2004_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2004.08.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
A temporary network of 10 broad-band seismic stations has been installed in French Polynesia for the Polynesian Lithosphere and Upper Mantle Experiment (PLUME). All the seismic stations were installed either on volcanic islands or on atolls of the various archipelagos of French Polynesia in a manner which complements the geographic coverage provided by the regional permanent stations. The primary aim of PLUME is to image the upper mantle structures related to plate motion and hotspot activity. However, because of its proximity to all sites, the ocean is responsible for a high level of noise in the seismic data and we show that these data can also be used to analyse ocean wave activity. The power spectral density (PSD) analyses of the seismic data recorded in French Polynesia show clear peaks in the 0.05– 0.10 Hz band (periods between 10 and 20 s), which corresponds to swell frequencies. Clear peaks in this frequency band are also observed in infrasonic data recorded on Tahiti. Ground motion analysis shows that the swell-related seismic noise (SRSN) is linearly polarized in the horizontal plane and its amplitude decreases rapidly with the distance from the shore. The microseismic and the infrasonic 'noise' amplitudes show very similar variations from station to station and both are strongly correlated with the swell amplitudes predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wind-forced, 'WaveWatch' models. The swell direction can be estimated from SRSN polarization analysis but this has to be done with care since, for some cases, the ground motions are strongly controlled by the islands' anisometric shapes and by swell refraction processes. We find cases, however, such as Tahiti or roughly circular Tuamotu atolls, where the azimuth of the swell is in good agreement with the seismic estimates. We, therefore, demonstrate that the SRSN and the infrasonic signal observed in French Polynesia can be used in such cases as a proxy for swell amplitude and azimuth. From the continuous analysis of the data recorded in 2003 at the permanent seismic station PPTL in Tahiti, transfer functions have been obtained. This could provide a way to quantify the swell activity during the last two decades and, therefore, assist in the investigation of climate changes.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-01388809
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388809
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388809/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388809/file/Barruol_swell_GJI2006.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.02871.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : We present a regional surface waveform tomography of the Pacific upper mantle, obtained using an automated multimode surface waveform inversion technique on fundamental and higher mode Rayleigh waves, to constrain the VSV structure down to ∼400 km depth. We have improved on previous implementations of this technique by robustly accounting for the effects of uncertainties in earthquake source parameters in the tomographic inversion. We have furthermore improved path coverage in the South Pacific region by including Rayleigh wave observations from the French Polynesian Pacific Lithosphere and Upper Mantle Experiment deployment. This improvement has led to imaging of vertical low-velocity structures associated with hotspots within the South Pacific Super-Swell region. We have produced an age-dependent averagecross-sectionforthePacificOceanlithosphereandfoundthattheincreaseinVSV with age is broadly compatible with a half-space cooling model of oceanic lithosphere formation. We cannot confirm evidence for a Pacific-wide reheating event. Our synthetic tests show that detailed interpretation of average VSV trends across the Pacific Ocean may be misleading unless lateral resolution and amplitude recovery are uniform across the region, a condition that is difficult to achieve in such a large oceanic basin with current seismic stations.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00105949
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00105949
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00105949/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00105949/file/Maggi_Pacif_tomo_GJI2006.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.03037.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Metamorphic soles correspond to m to 500 m thick highly strained metamorphic rock units found beneath myloniticbanded peridotites at the base of large-scale ophiolites, as exemplified in Oman. Metamorphic soles aremainly composed of metabasalts deriving from the downgoing oceanic lithosphere and metamorphosed up togranulite-facies conditions by heat transfer from the mantle wedge. Pressure–temperature peak conditions areusually estimated at 1.00.2 GPa and 800100ºC. The absence of HP–LT metamorphism overprint implies thatmetamorphic soles have been formed and exhumed during subduction infancy. In this view, metamorphic soleswere strongly deformed during their accretion to the mantle wedge (corresponding, now, to the base of the ophiolite).Therefore, metamorphic soles and banded peridotites are direct witnesses of the dynamics of early subductionzones, in terms of thermal structure, fluid migration and rheology evolution across the nascent slab interface.Based on fieldwork and EBSD analyses, we present a detailed (micro–) structural study performed on samplescoming from the Sumeini window, the better-preserved cross-section of the metamorphic sole of Oman. Largedifferences are found in the deformation (CPO, grain size, aspect ratio) of clinopyroxene, amphibole and plagioclase,related to mineralogical changes linked with the distance to the peridotite contact (e.g., hardening due to theappearance of garnet and clinopyroxene).To model the incipient slab interface in laboratory, we carried out 5 hydrostatic annealing and simple-shear experimentson Griggs solid-medium apparatus. Deformation experiments were conducted at axial strain rates of 10-6s-1. Fine-grained amphibolite was synthetized by adding 1 wt.% water to a (Mid-Ocean Ridge) basalt powder asa proxy for the metamorphic sole (amphibole + plagioclase + clinopyroxene garnet assemblage). To synthetizegarnet, 2 experiments were carried out in hydrostatic conditions and with deformation at 800C with confiningpressure of 2 GPa. Another simple-shear experiment has been carried out at 800C and 1 GPa with fined-grainednatural garnet. With the aim of mimicking the early slab interface (between the metamorphic sole and bandedperidotites at the base of the ophiolite), 2 simple-shear deformation experiments with 2 layers have been carriedout at 800C and confining pressure of 1 GPa. The bottom layer was made of hydrated basalt powder and the toplayer was made of olivine.Fined-grained garnet-free amphibolite is significantly weaker than dunite but the appearance of harder mineralsin the amphibolite (garnet and clinopyroxene) has major implications on its rheological evolution. These resultsallow liking field observations of strain localization at the interface to the metamorphic sole formation
European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2016
Vienne, Austria

insu-01309394
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01309394

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : International audience
Although they are famous among Earth scientists, the Lherz peridotites are exposed within geological formations of the North Pyrenean Zone (NPZ) still lacking detailed investigations. Our study focuses on the metasediments of the Aulus basin hosting the Lherz peridotite body and associated ultramafic fragments of smaller size. The new data set comprises of structural analysis and detailed geological mapping of the massive Mesozoic marbles that form the prerift sequence typical of the NPZ and of the ultramafic-rich clastic breccia formations surrounding the peridotite bodies. The massive marbles display an evolution from hot and ductile to cold and brittle deformation, indicative of an exhumation process ending with the sedimentary reworking of both the deformed Mesozoic metasediments and the exhumed ultramafic rocks. Crystal Preferred Orientations (CPO) measured in the marbles support a deformation mechanism by dislocation creep of calcite, which is dominant between 400 8C and 600 8C; these deformation temperatures are within the range determined earlier by Clerc et al. (2015), using RSCM (Raman Spectroscopy of Carbonaceous Material) geothermometry. As a consequence, we better describe the transition from ductile to brittle deformation in the prerift marbles and clarify the origin of the syn-rift breccias. Due to continuous exhumation along detachments' faults, the brecciated metamorphic carbonates of the prerift NPZ sedimentary cover were passively uplifted towards shallower levels and progressively unroofed, while transported passively on the back of the exhumed ultramafic footwall. These results are consistent with the recent interpretations of the North Pyrenean peridotites as remnants of subcontinental mantle rocks exhumed within the pre-Pyrenean rift system. We emphasize the importance of tectonic decoupling between the Mesozoic sedimentary cover and the Palaeozoic basement, which leads to the juxtaposition of metamorphosed and deformed Mesozoic Please cite this article in press as: Lagabrielle Y, et al. Very high geothermal gradient during mantle exhumation recorded in mylonitic marbles and carbonate breccias from a Mesozoic Pyrenean palaeomargin (Lherz area, North Pyrenean Zone, France). C. R. Geoscience (2016), http://dx.
ISSN: 1631-0713

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/
insu-01285079
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01285079
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01285079/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01285079/file/1-s2.0-S1631071315002060-main.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.crte.2015.11.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In the framework of the Africa-Europe convergence, the Mediterranean system presents a complex interaction between subduction rollback and upper-plate deformation during the Tertiary. The western end of the system shows a narrow arcuate geometry across the Gibraltar arc, the Betic-Rif belt, in which the relationship between slab dynamics and surface tectonics is not well understood. The present study focuses on the Western Betics, which is characterized by two major thrusts: 1/ the Internal/External Zone Boundary limits the metamorphic domain (Alboran Domain) from the fold-and-thrust belts in the External Zone; 2/ the Ronda Peridotites Thrust allows the juxtaposition of a strongly attenuated lithosphere section with large bodies of sub-continental mantle rocks on top of upper crustal rocks. New structural data show that two major E-W strike-slip corridors played a major role in the deformation pattern of the Alboran Domain, in which E-W dextral strike-slip faults, N60 thrusts and N140 normal faults developed simultaneously during dextral strike-slip simple shear. Olistostromic sediments of Lower Miocene age were deposited and deformed in this tectonic context and hence provide an age estimate for the inferred continuous westward translation of the Alboran Domain that is accommodated by an E-W lateral (strike-slip) ramp and a N60 frontal thrust. The crustal emplacement of large bodies of sub-continental mantle may occur at the onset of this westward thrusting in the Western Alboran domain. At lithosphere-scale, we interpret the observed deformation pattern as the subduction upper-plate expression of a lateral slab tear and its westward propagation since Lower Miocene.
ISSN: 0040-1951

insu-01163695
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01163695
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01163695/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01163695/file/Frasca-2015.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.05.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Peridotite xenoliths with a broad range of textures provides evidence for consistent microstructural evolution in a vertical transect of the shallow lithospheric mantle (35?55 km depth) beneath the Persani Mountains, SE Carpathians, Romania, due to ongoing plate convergence in the Carpathian Arc nearby. The recrystallized grain size, crystal preferred orientations strength, and resulting seismic anisotropy vary continuously and display a strong correlation to equilibrium temperatures, suggesting a continuous change in deformation conditions with depth. The shallowmost xenoliths have microstructures typical of high stress deformation, marked by strong recrystallization to fine grain sizes, which results in weak crystal preferred orientations and anisotropy. The deepest xenoliths have coarse-grained porphyroclastic microstructures and strong crystal preferred orientations. Replacive orthopyroxene structures, consuming olivine, and high H2O concentrations in the pyroxenes are observed in some xenoliths indicating limited percolation of fluids or volatile-rich melts. Despite the high stress deformation and high H2O contents in some of the studied xenoliths, analysis of olivine crystallographic orientations indicates that [100] slip systems, rather than ?wet? [001] accommodate most of the deformation in all samples. Seismic anisotropy estimated from the measured olivine and pyroxene crystal preferred orientations suggests that the strike-parallel fast SKS polarization directions and ~ 1 s delay times measured in the SE Carpathians are likely the consequence of convergence-driven belt-parallel flow in the lithospheric mantle.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00317303
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00317303
DOI : 10.1016/J.EPSL.2008.04.035

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
The Atlas Mountains are characterized by high elevations and Quaternary volcanism. Long period magnetotelluric data acquired along a NNW-SSE transect reveal the presence of a conductive anomalous mantle below the High Atlas. Data dimensionality analyses show a preferent N80 degrees E strike of the deep resistivity structure in agreement with the induction vector alignment at long periods. Accordingly, a 2D inversion of the data set was carried out. Large resistive bodies at the crustal basement most likely correspond to batholiths emplaced in more conductive metapelites. They are covered by outcropping conductive sedimentary detritic and carbonate rocks. Lithospheric thinning producing anomalous mantle and basin development in the Atlas probably started during Triassic-Jurassic rifting. Inversion tectonics since the Oligocene produced low shortening on previous lithospheric weak zones, with thrusting of the Atlas above the stable African plate. Melting at the top of the anomalous mantle is connected with Quaternary basaltic volcanism in the Middle Atlas.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-00671017
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00671017
DOI : 10.1029/2010TC002859

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : A section of ancient fast-spreading ocean crust was sampled at Wadi Gideah, located in the Wadi Tayin Massif of the Oman ophiolite. This sample suite was used for generating a coherent data set combining various petro-geochemical and structural investigations, with the aim of building a reference section for advancing our understanding of crustal accretion processes at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Additionally, this study focuses on one outcrop that represents part of the fossil axial melt lens (AML).Major and trace element analyses reveal a trend of chemical evolution up section in the lower crust, with a marked difference between the layered gabbros and the foliated gabbros above. Petrological modeling shows that the chemical evolution up section can be produced by hydrous fractionation crystallization, with melt H2O contents of ~0.8 wt% and 0.8 to 1.2 wt% for the lower and upper crust, respectively. Together with the observed very steep bulk Zr/Hf vs. Zr gradient, high F and Cl content of magmatic amphibole, general Nb-Ta depletion of melts compared with NMORB, and high Sr87/Sr86 ratio compared with modern fast-spread crust, this suggests that Wadi Gideah layered gabbros were accreted by crystallization of ascending melts in sills, in a context of subduction initiation. The distinct changes in chemical trends and average grain size at the layered to foliated gabbro transition are tentatively explained by enhanced hydrothermal cooling deeper than the AML. The gabbro/dike transition displays complex structural and lithological relationships that, together with fractional crystallization modeling, point to episodic vertical movements of the AML. Plagioclase crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) measured over the whole gabbro section are always consistent with magmatic flow. The CPO strength generally increases downward, with more scattering in the layered gabbro section. From the top to the bottom of the layered gabbros, CPO become progressively more prolate, possibly reflecting increasing shear induced by active mantle flow underneath.Wadi Gideah lower crust recorded a formation history consistent with a hybrid accretion model, combing several processes such as downward magmatic flow and/or upward melt migration in the upper foliated gabbros, sill intrusions in the layered gabbros, and deep hydrothermal circulation. The latter was presumably focused in channels, preserved today as several, up to 100 m wide zones of extensively altered former layered gabbro, cross-cutting the magmatic layering. These metagabbros display significantly higher Sr87/Sr86 ratio, late stage magmatic phases, and evidence for high temperature partial melting.
Une coupe d'ancienne croute océanique rapide a été échantillonnée dans le Wadi Gideah, situé dans le Massif de Wadi Tayin de l'Ophiolite d'Oman. Cette série d'échantillons a permis de générer un jeu de données cohérent, combinant des études pétro-géochimiques et structurales, dans le but de construire une coupe de référence pour mieux contraindre notre compréhension des processus d'accrétion crustale aux dorsales océaniques rapides. Ce travail intègre aussi l'étude détaillée d'un affleurement représentant en partie la lentille magmatique axiale (LMA) fossile.Les analyses d'éléments majeurs et traces révèlent une évolution chimique dans la croûte inférieure, avec une nette différence entre les gabbros lités et les gabbros foliés sus-jacents. La modélisation pétrologique montre que l'évolution chimique vers le haut peut être produite par cristallisation fractionnée hydratée, avec des teneurs en H2O des magmas de ~0.8 wt% dans la croute inférieure et 0.8 to 1.2 wt% dans la croute supérieure. Combiné aux forts gradients de Zr/Hf vs. Zr, aux teneurs élevées de F et Cl dans les amphiboles magmatiques, à l'appauvrissement général en Nb-Ta des magmas comparé aux NMORB, et aux rapports Sr87/Sr86 élevés comparés à la croûte rapide moderne, ceci suggère que les gabbros lités du Wadi Gideah ont été formés par la cristallisation des magmas ascendants dans des sills, dans un contexte d'initiation de subduction. Les changements de signature géochimique et de taille de grain à la transition entre gabbros lités et gabbros foliés témoignent possiblement d'un fort refroidissement hydrothermal plus profond que la LMA. La transition complexe filonien/gabbro montre des relations structurale et lithologiques complexes, qui, combinées o la modélisation de la cristallisation fractionnée, traduisent les mouvements verticaux épisodiques de la LMA. Les orientations préférentielles cristallographiques (OPC) des plagioclases mesurées sur l'ensemble de la coupe dans les gabbros témoignent toujours d'une déformation magmatique. L'intensité des OPC a tendance à augmenter vers le bas, avec une plus forte variabilité dans les gabbros lités. Dans les gabbros lités, les OPC sont de plus en plus linéaires vers le bas, résultant possiblement d'un cisaillement plus fort induit par l'écoulement actif du manteau sous-jacent.La croûte inférieure dans le Wadi Gideah a enregistré une histoire compatible avec un modèle d'accrétion hydride, combinant plusieurs processus tels que l'écoulement magmatique vers le bas et/ou la migration de liquides magmatiques vers le haut dans les gabbros foliés supérieurs, l'intrusion de sills dans les gabbros lités, et une circulation hydrothermale profonde. Cette dernière était probablement concentrée dans des chenaux, préservés aujourd'hui sous la forme de plusieurs zones, dont l'épaisseur atteint 100 m, de gabbros lités fortement altérés, recoupant le litage magmatique. Ces métagabbros ont des rapports Sr87/Sr86 élevés, comportent des phases magmatiques tardives et montrent des évidences de fusion partielle.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675

tel-01302675
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675/file/Th%C3%A8se_Tim-Mueller_2015.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
The southwestern Tianshan (China) metamorphic belt records high-pressure (HP) to ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) conditions corresponding to a cold oceanic subduction-zone setting. Serpentinites enclosing retrogressed eclogite and rodingite occur as lenses within metapelites in the UHP unit, which also hosts coesite-bearing eclogites. Based on the petrology and petrography of these serpentinites, five events are recognized: (1) formation of a wehrlite–harzburgite–dunite association in the mantle; (2) retrograde metamorphism and partial hydration during exhumation of the mantle rocks close to the seafloor; (3) oceanic metamorphism leading to the first serpentinization and rodingitization; (4) UHP metamorphism during subduction; (5) retrograde metamorphism during exhumation together with a second serpentinization. The peak metamorphic mineral assemblage of the serpentinized wehrlite comprises Ti-chondrodite + olivine + antigorite + chlorite + magnetite + brucite. A computed pseudosection for this serpentinized wehrlite shows that the Al content in antigorite is mostly sensititive to temperature but can also be used to constrain pressure. The average XAl = 0·204 ± 0·026 of antigorite (XAl = Al (a.p.f.u.)/8, where Al is in atoms per formula unit for a structural formula M48T34O85(OH)62, and M and T are octahedral and tetrahedral sites, respectively) included in Ti-chondrodite and average XAl = 0·203 ± 0·019 of antigorite in the matrix result in a well-constrained peak metamorphic temperature of 510–530°C. Peak pressures are less precisely constrained at 37 ± 7 kbar. The Tianshan serpentinites thus record UHP metamorphic conditions and represent the deepest subducted serpentinites discovered so far. The retrograde evolution occurs within the stability field of brucite + antigorite + olivine + chlorite and formation of Ti-clinohumite at the expense of Ti-chondrodite has been observed, suggesting isothermal decompression. The resulting P–T path is in excellent agreement with the metamorphic evolution of country rocks, indicating that the UHP unit in Tianshan was subducted and exhumed as a coherent block. To refine the metamorphic path of the ultramafic rocks, we have investigated the stability fields of Ti-chondrodite and Ti-clinohumite using piston-cylinder experiments. A total of 11 experiments were conducted at 25–55 kbar and 600–750°C in a F-free natural system. Combined with previous experiments and information from natural rocks we constructed a petrogenetic grid for the stability of Ti-chondrodite and Ti-clinohumite in F-free peridotite compositions. The formation of Ti-chondrodite in serpentinites requires a minimum pressure of about 26 kbar, whereas in Ti-rich systems it can form at considerably lower pressures. A key finding is that at UHP conditions, F-free Ti-chondrodite or Ti-clinohumite breaks down in the presence of orthopyroxene between 700 and 750°C, at temperatures that are significantly lower than those of the terminal breakdown reactions of these humite minerals. These breakdown reactions are an additional source of fluid during prograde subduction of serpentinites.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-01243507
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01243507
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egv042

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
The anisotropic single crystal seismic properties are reviewed in the light of recent experimental and theoretical determinations. Although considerable progress has been made on the determination of single crystal properties, data are still lacking, particularly for the temperature derivatives of transition zone and lower mantle phases. The common types of LPO of olivine, opx and cpx are presented together with their associated seismic properties. It is emphasized that simple seismic symmetry pattern of upper mantle rocks are a direct result of the interaction of olivine, opx and cpx. Using the standard structural frame (X lineation, Z pole to foliation) for typical LPOs of olivine, opx and cpx have the maximum Vp parallel to X, in the XZ plane and parallel to Y respectively. Destructive interference occurs between these minerals and hence P-wave anisotropy should be sensitive to the aggregate composition. For shear wave splitting (dVs) typical olivine and opx LPOs result in similar patterns with the maximum dVs in the YZ plane and the fast split shear wave (Vs1) polarized parallel to the foliation. A typical cpx LPO on the other hand produces destructive interference as the max dVs is close to X. By comparison with experiments and numerical simulations, it is estimated that upper mantle samples have an olivine LPO strength which recorded shear strain gamma of between 0.25 and 2.0. Pyrolite and piclogite models are compared with global transverse isotropic models. The slowly reducing P-wave anisotropy in the first 200 km can be explained by a model with constant composition and LPO strength. The sharp decrease in the observed anisotropy in the global models cannot be explained by the transformation of opx to cpx at 300 km, it is proposed that this decrease is due to a reduction in LPO strength from 200 to 350 km at the base of the lithosphere.
Earth's Deep Interior: Mineral Physics and Tomography From the Atomic Scale to the Global Scale

ISBN : 9780875909752
hal-01391524
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01391524
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01391524/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01391524/file/Mainprice_AGUmonog_DM_GB_WBI_2000.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag (Germany) Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
The Cerro del Almirez massif (Spain) represents a unique fragment of serpentinized oceanic lithosphere that has been first equilibrated in the antigorite stability field (Atg-serpentinites) and then dehydrated into chlorite–olivine–orthopyroxene (Chl-harzburgites) at eclogite facies conditions during subduction. The massif preserves a dehydration front between Atg-serpentinites and Chl-harzburgites. It constitutes a suitable place to study redox changes in serpentinites and the nature of the released fluids during their dehydration. Relative to abyssal serpentinites, Atg-serpentinites display a low Fe3+/FeTotal(BR) (=0.55) and magnetite modal content (=2.8–4.3 wt%). Micro-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (μ-XANES) spectroscopy measurements of serpentines at the Fe–K edge show that antigorite has a lower Fe3+/FeTotal ratio (=0.48) than oceanic lizardite/chrysotile assemblages. The onset of Atg-serpentinites dehydration is marked by the crystallization of a Fe3+-rich antigorite (Fe3+/FeTotal = 0.6–0.75) in equilibrium with secondary olivine and by a decrease in magnetite amount (=1.6–2.2 wt%). This suggests a preferential partitioning of Fe3+ into serpentine rather than into olivine. The Atg-breakdown is marked by a decrease in Fe3+/FeTotal(BR) (=0.34–0.41), the crystallization of Fe2+-rich phases and the quasi-disappearance of magnetite (=0.6–1.4 wt.%). The observation of Fe3+-rich hematite and ilmenite intergrowths suggests that the O2 released by the crystallization of Fe2+-rich phases could promote hematite crystallization and a subsequent increase in fo2 inside the portion of the subducted mantle. Serpentinite dehydration could thus produce highly oxidized fluids in subduction zones and contribute to the oxidization of the sub-arc mantle wedge.
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-01172310
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01172310
DOI : 10.1007/s00410-015-1130-y

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
A temporary network of 10 broad-band seismic stations has been installed in French Polynesia for the Polynesian Lithosphere and Upper Mantle Experiment (PLUME). All the seismic stations were installed either on volcanic islands or on atolls of the various archipelagos of French Polynesia in a manner which complements the geographic coverage provided by the regional permanent stations. The primary aim of PLUME is to image the upper mantle structures related to plate motion and hotspot activity. However, because of its proximity to all sites, the ocean is responsible for a high level of noise in the seismic data and we show that these data can also be used to analyse ocean wave activity. The power spectral density (PSD) analyses of the seismic data recorded in French Polynesia show clear peaks in the 0.05– 0.10 Hz band (periods between 10 and 20 s), which corresponds to swell frequencies. Clear peaks in this frequency band are also observed in infrasonic data recorded on Tahiti. Ground motion analysis shows that the swell-related seismic noise (SRSN) is linearly polarized in the horizontal plane and its amplitude decreases rapidly with the distance from the shore. The microseismic and the infrasonic 'noise' amplitudes show very similar variations from station to station and both are strongly correlated with the swell amplitudes predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wind-forced, 'WaveWatch' models. The swell direction can be estimated from SRSN polarization analysis but this has to be done with care since, for some cases, the ground motions are strongly controlled by the islands' anisometric shapes and by swell refraction processes. We find cases, however, such as Tahiti or roughly circular Tuamotu atolls, where the azimuth of the swell is in good agreement with the seismic estimates. We, therefore, demonstrate that the SRSN and the infrasonic signal observed in French Polynesia can be used in such cases as a proxy for swell amplitude and azimuth. From the continuous analysis of the data recorded in 2003 at the permanent seismic station PPTL in Tahiti, transfer functions have been obtained. This could provide a way to quantify the swell activity during the last two decades and, therefore, assist in the investigation of climate changes.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-01323691
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01323691
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01323691/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01323691/file/Barruol_et_al_2006.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.02871.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Continental rifts and passive continental margins show fundamental along-axis segmentation patterns that have been attributed to one or a number of different processes: extensional fault geometry, variable stretching along strike, preexisting lithospheric compositional and structural heterogeneities, oblique rifting, and the presence or absence of eruptive volcanic centers. The length and width scales of the rift stage fault-bounded basin systems change during the late evolution of the new plate boundary, and the role of magmatism may increase as rifting progresses to continental rupture. Along obliquely spreading ridges, first-order mid-ocean ridge geometries originate during the synrift stage, indicating an intimate relationship between magma production and transform fault spacing and location. The Gulf of Aden rift is a young ocean basin in which the earliest synrift to breakup structures are well exposed onshore and covered by thin sediment layers offshore. This obliquely spreading rift is considered magma-poor and has several large-offset transforms that originated during late stage rifting and control the first-order axial segmentation of the spreading ridge. Widely spaced geophysical transects of passive margins that produce only isolated 2-D images of crust and uppermost mantle structure are inadequate for evaluation of competing rift evolution models. Using closely spaced new geophysical and geological observations from the Gulf of Aden we show that rift sectors between transforms have a large internal variability over short distances (∼10 km): the ocean-continent transition (OCT) evolves from a narrow magmatic transition to wider zones where continental mantle is probably exhumed. We suggest that this small-scale variability may be explained (1) by the distribution of volcanism and (2) by the along-strike differences in time-averaged extension rate of the oblique rift system. The volcanism may be associated with (1) the long-offset Alula-Fartak Fracture Zone, which may enhance magma production on its younger side, or (2) channeled flow from the Afar plume material along the newly formed OCT and the spreading ridge. Oblique extension and/or hot spot interactions may thereby have a significant control on the styles of rifting and continental breakup and on the evolution of many magma-poor margins.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00504866
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00504866
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00504866/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00504866/file/G3-Leroy_al-2010.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2009GC002963