Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
In the Oman ophiolite, the large scale Makhibiyah shear zone, in Wadi Tayin massif was generated with no or little relative motion between the two adjacent blocks, in contrast with what is reported from otherwise similar shear zones in deep crust and upper mantle. This shear zone is asymmetrical with, along one margin an asthenospheric mantle (similar to 1200 degrees C) and along the adjacent margin, a lithospheric mantle (similar to 1000 degrees C). Within the hotter side and with increasing shear strain, horizontal flow lines smoothly swing towards the shear zone direction before abutting against the wall of the lithosphere side. Profuse mafic melts issued from the hotter mantle are frozen in the shear zone by cooling along this lithospheric wall. Tectonic and magmatic activities are entirely localized within the asthenospheric compartment. Mantle flow lines were rotated, during their channelling along this NW-SE shear zone, in the NW and SE opposite directions. Depending on whether the flow lines are deviated NW or SE, dextral or sinistral shear sense is recorded in the shear band mylonitic peridotites. This demonstrates that the shear zone was not generated by strike-slip motion, a conclusion supported by regional observations.
ISSN: 0954-4879

hal-00411334
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411334
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-3121.2008.00806.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : The Oman ophiolite consists of several massifs cropping out along a 500 km long band trending NW-SE along the coast of Oman; it is one of the best exposed sections of oceanic crust and mantle in the world. There is a gradient in igneous processes and composition in the ophiolite, with the northern massifs recording a polygenetic igneous history involving an increasingly important subduction component, whereas the southern massifs were formed primarily via a mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-like, single-stage process at a submarine spreading ridge. In this study we use geochemical data from Wadi Tayin, which is one of the southern massifs of the Oman ophiolite, to constrain the composition and genesis of oceanic crust and upper mantle. The Wadi Tayin harzburgites are residues of partial melting that are as depleted as the most depleted mid-ocean ridge peridotites. They have low middle- to heavy rare earth element ratios, most probably reflecting melting close to and beyond the exhaustion of clinopyroxene. Like many abyssal peridotites, the Wadi Tayin samples show enrichment in highly incompatible elements, giving rise to U-shaped MORB-normalized trace element patterns. We favor the idea that this is caused by enrichment of highly incompatible elements along grain boundaries in peridotite, which may be the result of near-equilibrium partitioning between grain boundaries and grain interiors, rather than disequilibrium processes. Equilibrium partitioning between crystals and grain boundaries during melting and melt extraction is also our preferred explanation for ubiquitous high Pb contents relative to Ce and La in our samples as well as in most abyssal peridotites. The Wadi Tayin samples record substantial variability in terms of osmium isotopic composition and platinum group element (PGE) concentrations. The more radiogenic nature of the dunites and impregnated peridotites compared with the residual harzburgites may be due to relatively high Os-187/Os-188 in melt transported through the dunites. The presence of residual peridotites with whole-rock osmium isotopic compositions less radiogenic than MORB may be explained by melting of a veined (upwelling) mantle forming mixed melts in which much of the Os derives from veins with high Re/Os in a matrix of previously depleted peridotite. An important result of this study is that the shallowest samples are refertilized (i.e. anomalously enriched in incompatible elements), and record relatively high metamorphic closure temperatures. These observations suggest that migrating melt underwent crystallization during rapid cooling in the uppermost mantle during and immediately after ridge magmatism. A variety of geothermometers all yield the result that the stratigraphically highest harzburgites equilibrated at higher temperature than the deeper ones. The systematic decrease in closure temperature with increasing depth below the Moho transition zone probably reflects systematic variation in cooling rate as a function of depth in the mantle section. We hypothesize that the refertilization and higher closure temperatures recorded by the uppermost mantle samples are linked. More rapid cooling led to higher closure temperatures, and to partial crystallization of migrating melts in the shallowest part of the mantle section, yielding slightly elevated abundances of elements such as Ca and Na, and incompatible trace elements.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00456056
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456056
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egp077

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer
Résumé : International audience
In this study, we used data recorded by two consecutive passive broadband deployments on the Gulf of Aden northern margin, Dhofar region, Sultanate of Oman. The objective of these deployments is to map the young eastern Gulf of Aden passive continental margin crust and upper mantle structure and rheology. In this study, we use shear-wave splitting analysis to map lateral variations of upper mantle anisotropy beneath the study area. In this study, we found splitting magnitudes to vary between 0.33 and 1.0 s delay times, averaging about 0.6 s for a total of 17 stations from both deployment periods. Results show distinct abrupt lateral anisotropy variation along the study area. Three anisotropy zones are identified: a western zone dominated by NW-SE anisotropy orientations, an eastern zone dominat- ed with NE-SW anisotropy orientations, and central zone with mixed anisotropy orientations similar to the east and west zones. We interpret these shorter wavelength anisotropy zones to possibly represent fossil lithospheric mantle anisotropy. We postulate that the central anisotropy zone may be representing a Proterozoic suture zone that separates two terranes to the east and west of it. The anisotropy zones west and east were being used indicative of different terranes with different upper mantle anisotropy signatures.
ISSN: 1866-7411

hal-00647478
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00647478
DOI : 10.1007/s12517-011-0477-2

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : We study the Africa-Iberia plate boundary in the vicinity of Gibraltar. Numerous models have been proposed for that region throughout the last decades, proposing mechanisms that range widely from continental delamination, convective removal, to subduction of oceanic lithosphere. To better constrain upper-mantle structure under the region, we study waveforms of P-waves that traverse the Alboran Sea region between Spain and Morocco. These show dispersive behavior, which, together with early arrival times, confirms the presence of an anomalous upper mantle structure under the Alboran Sea. The dispersion is consistent with that expected from subducted lithosphere. Waveforms of body waves therefore provide a way to better constrain the elusive mantle structure and dynamics of the Alboran Sea region
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00407670
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407670
DOI : 10.1029/2007GL030964

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The present study aims at better deciphering the different mechanisms involved in the functioning of the subduction interplate. A 2D thermo-mechanical model is used to simulate a subduction channel, made of oceanic crust, free to evolve. Convergence at constant rate is imposed under a 100 km thick upper plate. Pseudo-brittle and non-Newtonian behaviours are modelled. The influence of the subduction channel strength, parameterized by the difference in activation energy between crust and mantle () is investigated to examine in detail the variations in depth of the subduction plane down-dip extent, . First, simulations show that numerical resolution may be responsible for an artificial and significant shallowing of if the weak crustal layer is not correctly resolved. Second, if the age of the subducting plate is 100 Myr, subduction occurs for any . The stiffer the crust is, that is, the lower is, the shallower is (60 km depth if kJ/mol) and the hotter the fore-arc base is. Conversely, imposing a very weak subduction channel ( J/mol) leads there to an extreme mantle wedge cooling and inhibits mantle melting in wet conditions. Partial kinematic coupling at the fore-arc base occurs if kJ/mol. If the incoming plate is 20 Myr old, subduction can occur under the conditions that the crust is either stiff and denser than the mantle, or weak and buoyant. In the latter condition, cold crust plumes rise from the subduction channel and ascend through the upper lithosphere, triggering (1) partial kinematic coupling under the fore-arc, (2) fore-arc lithosphere cooling, and (3) partial or complete hindrance of wet mantle melting. then ranges from 50 to more than 250 km depth and is time-dependent if crust plumes form. Finally, subduction plane dynamics is intimately linked to the regime of subduction-induced corner flow. Two different intervals of are underlined: 80–120 kJ/mol to reproduce the range of slab surface temperature inferred from geothermometry, and 10–40 kJ/mol to reproduce the shallow hot mantle wedge core inferred from conditions of last equilibration of near-primary arc magmas and seismic tomographies. Therefore, an extra process controlling mantle wedge dynamics is needed to satisfy simultaneously the aforementioned observations. A mantle viscosity reduction, by a factor 4–20, caused by metasomatism in the mantle wedge is proposed. From these results, I conclude that the subduction channel down-dip extent, , should depend on the subduction setting, to be consistent with the observed variability of sub-arc depths of the subducting plate surface.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-01623155
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01623155
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2017.05.008

Éditeur(s) : Université de Bretagne Occidentale
Résumé : The aim of this study is to present a comparison of large oceanic fracture zones structures. The first part concerns the results of the Vemanaute dive cruise on the Vema transform fault. The site I is located on the South Wall of the fracture zone. Two sections have covered the entire height of the northern flan and allowed in situ observations and sampling of all the units that constitute the "normal" oceanic crust and upper mantle in a correct stratigraphic order.
Ce mémoire présente les résultats d'une étude comparative concernant les structures caractéristiques des grandes failles transformantes océaniques. Dans une première partie sont présentés les résultats de la campagne de plongées Vemanaute sur la faille transformante Vema. Le premier site étudié est situé sur le mur sud de la vallée transformante. Deux sections ont été levées couvrant toute la hauteur du flanc ; elles nous ont permis d'observer in situ, pour la première fois, et de prélever tous les éléments constituant la croûte océanique "normale" et le manteau supérieur, dans leur ordre stratigraphique.

Droits : UBO
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00034/14528/11826.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00034/14528/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Betic-Rif orocline surrounding the Alboran Sea, the westernmost tip of the Mediterranean Sea, accommodates the NW–SE convergence between the Nubia and Eurasia plates. Recent GPS observations indicate a ∼4 mm/yr SW motion of the Rif Mountains, relative to stable Nubia, incompatible with a simple two-plate model. New gravity data acquired in this study define a pronounced negative Bouguer anomaly south of the Rif, interpreted as a ∼40 km-thick crust in a state of non-isostatic equilibrium. We study the correlation between these present-day kinematic and geodynamic processes using a finite-element code to model in 2-D the first-order behavior of a lithosphere affected by a downward normal traction (representing the pull of a high-density body in the upper mantle). We show that intermediate viscosities for the lower crust and uppermost mantle (View the MathML source1021–1022Pas) allow an efficient coupling between the mantle and the base of the brittle crust, thus enabling (1) the conversion of vertical movement, resulting from the downward traction, to horizontal movement and (2) shortening in the brittle upper crust. Our results show that incipient delamination of the Nubian continental lithosphere, linked to slab pull, can explain the present-day abnormal tectonics, contribute to the gravity anomaly observed in northern Morocco, and give insight into recent tectonics in the Western Mediterranean region.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01467130
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01467130
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.08.041

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
The variation of elastic- wave velocities as a function of the direction of propagation through the Earth's interior is a widely documented phenomenon called seismic anisotropy. The geometry and amount of seismic anisotropy is generally estimated by measuring shearwave splitting, which consists of determining the polarization direction of the fast shear- wave component and the time delay between the fast and slow, orthogonally polarized, waves. In subduction zones, the teleseismic fast shear- wave component is oriented generally parallel to the strike of the trench(1), although a few exceptions have been reported (Cascadia(2) and restricted areas of South America(3,4)). The interpretation of shear- wave splitting above subduction zones has been controversial and none of the inferred models seems to be sufficiently complete to explain the entire range of anisotropic patterns registered worldwide(1). Here we show that the amount and the geometry of seismic anisotropies measured in the forearc regions of subduction zones strongly depend on the preferred orientation of hydrated faults in the subducting oceanic plate. The anisotropy originates from the crystallographic preferred orientation of highly anisotropic hydrous minerals (serpentine and talc) formed along steeply dipping faults and from the larger- scale vertical layering consisting of dry and hydrated crust - mantle sections whose spacing is several times smaller than teleseismic wavelengths. Fault orientations and estimated delay times are consistent with the observed shear- wave splitting patterns in most subduction zones.
ISSN: 0028-0836

hal-00412016
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412016
DOI : 10.1038/nature07376

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Chromitite pods in the Mayarí-Cristal ophiolitic massif (eastern Cuba) were formed in the Late Cretaceous when island arc tholeiites and MORB-like back-arc basin basalts reacted with residual mantle peridotites and generated chromite-rich bodies enclosed in dunite envelopes. Platinum-group minerals (PGM) in the podiform chromitites exhibit important Os-isotope heterogeneities at the kilometric, hand sample and thin section scales. 187Os/188Os calculated at the time of chromitite crystallization (~90 Ma) ranges between 0.1185 and 0.1295 (γOs = −7.1 to +1.6, relative to enstatite chondrite), and all but one PGM have subchondritic 187Os/188Os. Grains in a single hand sample have initial 187Os/188Os that spans from 0.1185 to 0.1274, and in one thin section it varies between 0.1185 and 0.1232 in two PGM included in chromite which are only several millimeters apart. As the Os budget of a single micrometric grain derives from a mantle region that was at least several m3 in size, the variable Os isotopic composition of PGM in the Mayarí-Cristal chromitites probably reflects the heterogeneity of their mantle sources on the 10-100 m scale. Our results show that this heterogeneity was not erased by pooling and mingling of individual melt batches during chromitite crystallization but was transferred to the ore deposits on mineral scale. The distribution of the Os model ages calculated for PGM shows four main peaks, at ~100, 500, 750 and 1,000 Ma. These variable Os model ages reflect the presence of different depleted domains in the oceanic (Pacific-related) upper mantle of the Greater Antilles paleo-subduction zone. The concordance between the age of crystallization of the Mayarí-Cristal chromitites and the most recent peak of the Os model age distribution in PGM supports that Os in several grains was derived from fertile domains of the upper mantle, whose bulk Os isotopic composition is best approximated by that of enstatite chondrites; on the other hand, most PGM are crystallized by melts that tapped highly refractory mantle sources.
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-00822742
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00822742
DOI : 10.1007/s00410-010-0575-2

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Numerical models show that small-scale convection (SSC) occurring atop a mantle plume is a plausible mechanism to rejuvenate the lithosphere. The triggering of SSC depends on the density contrast and on the rheology of the unstable layer underlying the stagnant upper part of the thermal boundary layer (TBL). Partial melting may change both properties. We analyze, using 2-D numerical simulations, how partial melting influences the dynamics of time-dependent SSC instabilities and the resulting thermo-mechanical rejuvenation of an oceanic plate moving atop of a plume. Our simulations show a complex behavior, with acceleration, no change, or delay of the SSC onset, due to competing effects of the latent heat of partial melting, which cools the plume material, and of the buoyancy increase associated with both melt retention and depletion of residue following melt extraction. The melt-induced viscosity reduction is too localized to affect significantly SSC dynamics. Faster SSC triggering is promoted for low melting degrees (low plume temperature anomalies, thick lithosphere, or fast moving plates), which limit both the temperature reduction due to latent heat of melting and the accumulation of depleted buoyant residue in the upper part of the unstable layer. In contrast, high partial melting degrees lead to a strong temperate decrease due to latent heat of melting and development of a thick depleted layer within the sublithospheric convecting layer, which delay the development of gravitational instabilities. Despite differences in SSC dynamics, the thinning of the lithosphere is not significantly enhanced relatively to simulations that neglect partial melting.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-01277175
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01277175
DOI : 10.1002/2015GC005967

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The minerals constituting the Earth's upper mantle are nominally anhydrous silicates (NAMs). However they do contain hydrogen as a trace element, decorating point defects in their crystalline structure. Experimental petrology and mineralogy have quantified the maximum concentration under several compositional and thermodynamic conditions, but systematic studies on the hydrogen concentration in minerals from mantle-derived rocks have only recently been carried out. Here, we have compiled the distribution of hydrogen in upper mantle peridotite xenoliths, from which several conclusions can be drawn. NAMs from peridotite xenoliths contain a few ppm wt. H2O in their structure. From the current database, the hydrogen concentrations in olivine regularly increase with increasing depth. The amount of hydrogen in NAMs from peridotite xenoliths from subduction contexts is not higher than in other geological context for similar temperature and pressure conditions. The highest hydrogen concentrations is found in peridotitic olivines from cratonic mantle, and are likely due to the depth of origin. The increasing hydrogen concentration in olivine with increasing depth is likely controlled by the increase of H partitioning into olivine at the expense of orthopyroxene as imposed by a decrease in Al content in opx with depth. However, the sparse data could also indicate that the bulk hydrogen concentration slightly increases with depth > 150 km. In this case, it would suggest, locally (Udachnaya for example), a possible increase in water fugacity due to fluid saturation. Even if the most abundant mineral in mantle rocks is olivine, the bulk hydrogen concentration in peridotites is controlled by the amount of hydrogen stored in pyroxenes. However, hydrogen concentration in olivine remains crucial for consequences on physical properties such as rheology and electrical conductivity. Kinetics of hydrogen transport is reviewed and hydrous melt/fluid percolation appears necessary to homogenize the hydrogen distribution at km-scale. Sampling of natural rock specimens is currently biased (e.g., in favor of optically attractive samples) and needs improvement, which will be achieved by increasing sample diversity (all type of grain sizes, lithologies, geological settings) and size of rock samples, as well as advances in analytical techniques. Acquisition of high quality data will be achieved by studying the co-existing minerals in mantle specimens, exploring each sample by linear and mapping measurements, and using appropriate FTIR calibrations for polarized and unpolarized radiation.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-01306676
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306676
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2015.11.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
This study reports petrostructural observations in the pargasite and phlogopite-bearing Finero peridotite massif (Italian Western Alps), which suggest that the pervasive foliation in this massif was formed by deformation concomitant with percolation of hydrous Si-rich melts: (1) diffuse contacts, but systematic parallelism between the pyroxenitic layers and the foliation of the peridotite (2) strong shape and crystal preferred orientations (SPO and CPO), but subhedral or interstitial shapes and weak intracrystalline deformation of the hydrous phases, (3) CPO, but interstitial shapes of the pyroxenes, (4) very coarse olivine grain sizes, which are correlated to the olivine abundance, and (5) elongated shapes, but weak intracrystalline deformation, and extremely weak and highly variable CPO of olivine. The pervasive deformation of the Finero peridotite occurred therefore under conditions that allowed coexistence of H2O–CO2-bearing melts, pargasite, and spinel, that is, temperatures of 980–1080 °C and pressures <2 GPa. The petrostructural observations suggest that the presence of hydrous melts results in accommodation of large amounts of deformation by stress-controlled dissolution–precipitation and advective transport of matter by the melts and in fast grain boundary migration in olivine. By consequence, it produces significant rheological weakening. Water contents in olivine are <4 ppm wt., implying limited contribution of hydration of olivine to weakening. In addition, the analysis of protomylonites composing the external domains of the shear zones that overprint the pervasive foliation indicates that the transition to melt-free conditions results in enhanced contribution of dislocation creep to the deformation. The associated increase of the peridotites' strength leads to onset of strain localization. The latter is not correlated to the local abundance in pargasite or phlogopite, implying that crystallization of amphiboles or phlogopite, even at concentrations of 25 vol.%, does not produce rheological weakening in the upper mantle.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01667879
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01667879
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2017.08.015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Seismic anisotropy has been widely studied this last decade, particularly by measuring splitting of vertically propagating core shear waves. The main interest in this technique is to characterize upper mantle flow beneath seismic stations. On the other hand, the major restriction in this method is that a single station gives a single anisotropy measurement. Alternative methods have been developed in order to avoid this restriction. An accurate determination of upper mantle seismic anisotropy beneath a seismic station may allow one, by doing anisotropy correction, to characterize remote or deeper anisotropy. The Geoscope network is ideal for this purpose because it is composed of a large set (about 26) of high-quality, broadband seismometers globally distributed and because some of these stations have run for more than 10 years and most of them for more than 5 years. We selected about 100 events at each site, generally of magnitude (m b) > 6.0, and we performed systematic measurements of the splitting parameters (fast polarization direction φ and delay time δt) on SKS, SKKS, and PKS phases. Splitting on oceanic islands has been difficult to observe owing to the low quality of the signal but also perhaps owing to complex upper mantle structures beneath the stations. Station KIP (Kipapa, Hawaii) in the Pacific is the only oceanic Geoscope station with a clear anisotropy. We determined well-constrained splitting parameters for 10 of the 17 continental stations that may be explained by a single anisotropic layer. The poor correlation between fast polarization directions and the absolute plate motion together with the apparent incoherence between the plate velocities and the observed delay times suggest that a simple drag-induced asthenospheric flow alone fails to explain most of the observations. For some stations located on or near major lithospheric structures (TAM, Tamanrasset, Algeria, for instance), we observe a good correlation between fast polarization directions and regional structures. At station SCZ (Santa Cruz, California), we found clear variations of the splitting parameters as a function of the event backazimuth, compatible with two layers of anisotropy. Three stations (CAN (Canberra), HYB (Hyderabad, India) and SSB (Saint Sauveur Badole, France)) seem to be devoid of detectable anisotropy.
ISSN: 2169-9313

hal-01388830
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388830
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388830/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01388830/file/Barruol_anisoGeoscope_JGR1999.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/1999JB900033

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : Carbon emission at volcanic centers requires a constant balance between output (mostly by volcanism, either at plate boundaries or intraplate) and input (mostly at trench settings) of carbon from and to the Earth's mantle. The form of carbon that resides in the mantle is controlled by depth (pressure) and oxygen fugacity, the latter in turn depending on the depth and the concentration of iron in the mantle. In the shallow, lithospheric mantle, carbon is likely to be present in the oxidized form of CO2 (except under cratons where carbon is reduced to graphite or diamond). Below approximately 90 km, in the asthenosphere, the oxidized form of carbon is carbonate, either mineral or melt, depending on the thermal regime. At depths greater than approximately 150 km, the asthenospheric mantle is too reducing for carbon to stay in its oxidized form and only diamond is present, unless there is sufficient hydrogen to form reduced C–H fluids. Hence, the region located in the depth range of 90 to 150 km deep is where carbonatitic melts can most likely be produced and impregnate the surrounding mantle through metasomatism. The upper bound of this region is called the carbonate ledge. This limit prevents carbonate (either solid or molten) from ascending because of degassing and CO2 liberation. The lower bound is a redox front where redox melting (that is, melting caused by oxidation) may take place in an ascending portion of carbon-containing mantle. Carbonatite eruptions and presence of carbonate mineral inclusions in deep-seated diamonds provide evidence that these boundaries can be trespassed in some cases.An analysis of the experimental data that has bearing on silicate melting in the presence of carbon further shows that the carbonate ledge is a melting curve with a negative or flat Clapeyron (dP/dT) slope. In the carbonated ultrabasic (peridotite) systems, the carbonate ledge is located between ~ 2–3 GPa. The ledge divides the pressure–temperature space into a region of low-pressure silicate melt production, and a high-pressure region where carbonatites can be produced. Carbonatitic melts in equilibrium with mantle peridotite have compositions close to dolomitic (approximately equal amounts of Ca and Mg) with a general trend of becoming markedly more magnesian with increasing pressure. Calcic carbonatites may be stable at pressures < 2 GPa if clinopyroxene is absent. At mantle transition zone pressure range, there seems to be a melting temperature decrease (negative fusion slope), which may be caused by the stabilization of majoritic garnet.The carbonated basic (broadly eclogitic) system is more complex than the peridotitic one, because of the strong control of bulk silicate composition on melting temperatures, and hence, on melt composition. In carbonated eclogite systems, we propose that the effect of bulk composition upon all observed features can perhaps be related to silica super-saturation, or lack thereof. In some cases, high calcium (> 80 mol% CaCO3) melts can be produced, making the melting of carbonated eclogites an appealing scenario for the genesis of calcio-carbonatites in the Earth's mantle. Comparison with modeled pressure–temperature paths of subducted oceanic lithosphere shows that fusion of carbonated eclogite at depths shallower than 200 km should be expected for hot (Cascadian-type) subduction thermal regimes. On the other hand, in the case of cooler thermal regimes (Honshu-type, for instance), subducted carbonates may be stable to greater depths in Earth at trench settings, depending on the bulk composition of the system.Furthermore, high-pressure experiments show evidence of a continuum among carbonatitic, kimberlitic, melilititic, and basaltic liquids, for increasing melting degree of carbonated peridotite. This continuum has not been documented in the case of fusion of carbonated eclogite. It may be present, however, when certain sediments are fused, although the silicate melts are granitic to rhyodacitic instead of being kimberlitic in composition. Additional high-pressure work on phase relations in the simple binary system CaCO3–MgCO3 and specific focus on oxide solubility in the vapor phase have the potential to further clarify phase relations on complex silicate–carbonate systems at mantle conditions.
ISSN: 0009-2541

hal-01277770
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01277770
DOI : 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2015.05.018

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Major and trace element signatures and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data for muscovite (Ms)-bearing amphibolite blocks and associated muscovite-bearing trondhjemite and quartz-muscovite rocks from the Sierra del Convento melange (eastern Cuba) indicate that Proto-Caribbean oceanic crust underwent wet partial melting processes during Mesozoic subduction and after accretion to the upper plate. Trace element normalized patterns of Ms-bearing amphibolites are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large-ion lithophile elements (LILE) and evidence variable trace element transfer from the Proto-Caribbean subducting slab to the mantle wedge. Ms-bearing trondhjemites show LREE enrichment and HREE depletion and have geochemical features similar to adakites, including SiO2>56 wt.%, high Na2O contents (5.5-9.0 wt.%) and high Sr/Y (16-644). We consider that the trondhjemites represent primary and natural melts formed by deep partial melting of the subducting slab which did not significantly react with the mantle wedge before intrusion in the subduction channel. The Ms-bearing trondhjemites show different geochemical and petrological signatures compared with the Ms-free tonalites-trondhjemites from Sierra del Convent, that are interpreted as primary slab melts. These differences support the idea that partial melting processes in the Sierra del Convento subduction channel were triggered by the infiltration of fluids derived from three distinct subducted sources: sediments, altered mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB), and serpentinites. In this scenario, the pegmatitic quartz-muscovite rocks, which are highly enriched in LILE, probably represent the crystallization products of fluids derived by differentiation of the trondhjemitic melts.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00669881
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00669881
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2011.07.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
In the Wadi Haymiliyah of the Oman ophiolite (Haylayn block), discordant wehrlite bodies ranging in size from tens to hundreds of meters intrude the lower crust at different levels. We combined investigations on natural wehrlites from the Wadi Haymiliyah section with an experimental study on the phase relations in a wehrlitic system in order to constrain the petrogenesis of the crustal wehrlites of the Oman ophiolite. Secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses of clinopyroxenes from different wehrlite bodies imply that the clinopyroxenes were crystallized from tholeiitic, mid-ocean ridge (MORB)-type melts. The presence of primary magmatic amphiboles in some wehrlites suggests a formation under hydrous conditions. Significantly enhanced Sr-87/Sr-86 isotope ratios of separates from these amphiboles imply that the source of the corresponding magmatic fluids was either seawater or subduction zone-related. The experiments revealed that under wet conditions at relatively low temperatures, a MORB magma has the potential to produce wehrlite in the ocean crust by accumulation of early olivine and clinopyroxene. These show typically high Mg# which is a consequence of the oxidizing effect of the prevailing high aH(2)O. First plagioclases crystallizing after clinopyroxene under wet conditions are high in An content, in contrast to the corresponding dry system. Trace element compositions of clinopyroxenes of those wehrlites from the Moho transition zone are too depleted in HREE to be in equilibrium with present-day MORB, implying a genetic relation to the V2 lavas of the Oman ophiolite, which are interpreted to be the result of fluid-enhanced melting of previously depleted mantle. We present a model on the petrogenesis of the crustal wehrlites in an upper mantle wedge above an initial, shallow subduction zone at the beginning of the intraoceanic thrusting.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00429373
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00429373
DOI : 10.1029/2009GC002488

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
[1] Statistical analysis of modern oceanic subduction zone parameters, such as the age of a downgoing plate or the absolute plate motions, is performed in order to investigate which parameter controls the dip of a slab and, conversely, what the influence of slab geometry is on upper plate behavior. For that purpose, parameters have been determined from global databases along 159 transects from all subduction zones that are not perturbed by nearby collision or ridge/plateau/seamount subduction. On the basis of tomographic images, slabs that penetrate through, or lie on, the 670 km discontinuity are also identified. The results of the statistical analysis are as follows: (1) Back-arc stress correlates with slab dip, i.e., back-arc spreading is observed for deep dips (deeper than 125 km) larger than 50°, whereas back-arc shortening occurs only for deep dips less than 30°. (2) Slab dip correlates with absolute motion of the overriding plate. The correlation is even better when the slab lies on, or even more penetrates through, the 670 km discontinuity. (3) Slabs dip more steeply, by about 20° on average, beneath oceanic overriding plates than beneath continental ones. (4) Slabs dip more steeply on average by about 10° near edges. (5) Slab dip does not correlate with the magnitude of slab pull, the age of subducting lithosphere at the trench, the thermal regime of the subducting lithosphere, the convergence rate, or the subduction polarity (east versus west). The present study provides evidence that the upper plate absolute motion plays an important role on slab dip, as well as on upper plate strain. Retreating overriding plates are often oceanic ones and thus may partially explain the steeper slab dips beneath oceanic upper plates. One can infer that low slab dips correlate well with compression in continental advancing upper plates, whereas steep dips are often associated with extension in oceanic retreating upper plates. Excess weight of old slabs is often counterbalanced by other forces, probably asthenospheric in origin, such as lateral mantle flow near slab edges or anchor forces, to determine slab dip. Components: 12,676 words, 13 figures, 1 table.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-01261567
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261567
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261567/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261567/file/lallemandG32005.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2005GC000917

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
In the frame of the Africa-Europe convergence, the Mediterranean tectonic system presents a complex interaction between subduction rollback and upper-plate deformation during the Tertiary. The western Mediterranean is characterized by the exhumation of the largest subcontinental mantle massif worldwide (the Ronda Peridotite) and a narrow arcuate geometryacross the Gibraltar arc within the Betic-Rif belt (the internal part being called the Alboran domain), where the relationship between slab dynamics and surface tectonics is not well understood. New structural and geochronological data are used to argue for 1/ hyperstrechting of the continental lithosphere allowing extensional mantle exhumation to shallow depths, followed by 2/ lower miocene thrusting. Two Lower Miocene E-W-trending strike-slip corridors played a major role in the deformation pattern of the Alboran Domain, in which E-W dextral strike-slip faults, N60°-trending thrusts and N140°-trending normal faults developed simultaneously during dextral strike-slip simple shear. The inferred continuous westward translation of the Alboran Domain is accommodated by a major E-W-trending lateral ramp (strike-slip) and a N60°-trending frontal thrust. At lithosphere-scale, we interpret the observed deformation pattern as the upper-plate expression of a lateral slab tear and of its westward propagation since Lower Miocene. The crustal emplacement of the Ronda Peridotites occurred at the onset of this westward motion.The Miocene tectonics of the western Alboran is therefore marked by the inversion of a continental rift, triggered by shortening of the upper continental plate and accommodated by E-W dextral strike-slip corridors. During thrusting and westward displacement of the Alboran domain with respect to Iberia, the hot upper plate, which involved the previously exhumed sub-continental mantle, underwent fast cooling.
AGU Fall Meeting 2015
San Francisco, United States

insu-01242043
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01242043

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD E Schweizerbart Science Publishers
Résumé : Mafic microgranular enclaves produced by co-mingling between minette and syenite magmas are found in the Piquiri Syenite, southern Brazil. These enclaves were crystallized under upper mantle conditions. K-clinopyroxene and pyrope are among the early-crystallized phases, suggesting an initial pressure around 5GPa. The mineralogy of minettes comprises phenocrysts of magnesium biotite and diopside, occasionally apatite, in a groundmass formed by these minerals plus alkali feldspar. Two types of apatites are observed: (i) euhedral grains, as inclusions or groundmass constituents, and (ii) aciculate crystals formed during undercooling of mafic magma. Substitutional schemes suggested for these apatites are Si ⇆ P in the tetrahedral site, and Sr and LREE replacing Ca. La, Ce, Nd, and Sr concentrations reveal that these elements are extremely enriched in apatite. Partition coefficients between early-crystallized apatites and estimated melt compositions are DLa (11.8 - 30.6), DCe (16.1-33), DNd (12-31) and DSr (5.1-8.2). Apatite concentrates the LREE up to 200 times compared to clinopyroxene, even higher values were determined for ap/mica partitioning. The ap/cpx and ap/mica partition coefficients for undercooled minerals are close to the values determined for the near-liquidus phases, which indicates constant behavior of LREE and Sr between apatite-clinopyroxene-mica parageneses and minette liquids. Furthermore, these partitioning data preclude any chemical diffusion of these elements between minette and syenite magmas during co-mingling.
ISSN: 0935-1221

hal-00407602
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407602
DOI : 10.1127/0935-1221/2007/0019-0039

Éditeur(s) : Université Nice Sophia Antipolis
Résumé : The Lesser Antilles is a case study of a very slow subduction (~2 cm/yr) of an old oceanic lithosphere (~84-100 Ma). The region presents a relatively low seismic activity, especially along the interplate contact, and the seismic hazard associated with a possible mega-thrust earthquake is still poorly known. This PhD thesis is a first step toward assessing the ability of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone to produce such a large subduction event. To do so, it aims at constraining the downdip width of the interplate's seismogenic zone. The lack of coverage of permanent seismological stations is a major limitation in the exploration of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. It is due to the presence of only small aligned islands at far distances from the potentially seismogenic interplate area. Several oceanographic cruises were therefore planned that notably allowed the repeated deployment of ocean bottom seismometers; some of them being left for a few months of background seismicity recording. This thesis specifically focuses on two sets of wide-angle seismic data acquired offshore the Dominica and Martinique islands. From their analysis 3D and 2D tomographic models were produced respectively over the forearc region and across the whole subduction complex. These models constrain the plates' seismic structure as well as their geometry. They allow the discussion of how the imaged structures affect the subduction processes and give a first estimation of the downdip width of the seimogenic zone, defined as the segment of the interplate between the backstop and the upper plate's Moho. The joint interpretation of seismic models and earthquake localizations then refine this first assessment. Epicenter distribution from height months of seismic recording shows indeed that seismicity concentrates within the inner forearc region. The strong velocity gradient that characterize its basement suggests it is denser and more rigid than the more deformable outer forearc basement. The updip limit of the seismogenic zone could then lie arcward of the backstop at the contact of the interplate and the seaward end of the inner forearc crust. At depth, interplate earthquake mechanisms are observed between 35 and 45 km depth and interpreted to have occurred at the downdip limit of the seismogenic zone. The latter could reach a depth over 10,km deeper than the contact of the upper plate's Moho with the interplate, and therefore lie within the mantle wedge. All together, these results imply a large downdip width of the seismogenic zone (~70 km) offshore the Dominica and Martinique islands. Further work is, however, needed in order to fully comprehend the ability of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone to produce a possible mega-thrust earthquake. This would necessitate the evaluation of seismic coupling at the interplate contact and the possible segmentation of the seismogenic zone, for instance, due to the subduction of oceanic ridges.
Les Petites Antilles présentent un contexte géodynamique caractérisé par la subduction à très faible vitesse (~2 cm/an) d'une lithosphère océanique âgée (~84-100 Ma). L'activité sismique y est relativement faible, notamment à l'interplaque, où l'aléa sismique lié à un éventuel séisme de méga-chevauchement reste encore mal contraint. Cette thèse se veut être une première étape dans l'évaluation de la capacité de la zone de subduction des Petites Antilles à générer un tel évènement. Dans ce but, ces travaux tentent d'appréhender l'extension en profondeur du domaine sismogène de l'interplaque. Le manque de couverture des stations sismologiques permanentes est un inconvénient majeur dans l'exploration des Petites Antilles. Il s'explique en raison du peu de terres émergées et de leur éloignement de la zone potentiellement sismogène de l’interplaque. La région a donc fait l'objet de plusieurs campagnes océanographiques qui ont permis, notamment, le déploiement de sismomètres fond de mer (OBS); certains instruments étant restés immergés plusieurs mois afin de procéder à une écoute de la sismicité. Les travaux réalisés au cours de cette thèse se sont focalisés sur deux jeux de données de sismique grand-angle acquis au large des îles de la Dominique et de la Martinique. Leur analyse a permis la construction de modèles tomographiques 3D et 2D respectivement à l'échelle de l'avant-arc et de l'ensemble de la subduction. Ces modèles renseignent sur la structure sismique des plaques en convergence ainsi que sur leur géométrie. Ils permettent de discuter le rôle de la structure dans le fonctionnement de la subduction et d’obtenir une première estimation de l'extension en profondeur de la zone sismogène en considérant la portion de l'interplaque comprise entre le butoir et le Moho de la plaque supérieure. Dans un second temps, l'interprétation conjointe des modèles tomographiques et des localisations des séismes locaux a permis d'affiner cette estimation. Huit mois d'enregistrement de la sismicité montrent en effet une concentration des épicentres dans la région interne de l’avant-arc. Celle-ci présente un socle épais, à fort gradient de vitesse interprété comme plus dense et rigide que le socle de la région externe de l'avant-arc, plus déformable. La limite amont de la zone sismogène pourrait donc se situer en retrait de la position du butoir au contact de l'interplaque et de la limite entre ces deux zones de l'avant-arc. En profondeur, des mécanismes interplaques sont observés entre 35 et 45 km et interprétés comme des marqueurs de la limite aval de la zone sismogène. Cette dernière pourrait donc atteindre une profondeur jusqu'à 10 km supérieure à la limite précédemment évoquée et se trouver, par conséquent, au contact du manteau lithosphérique. L'ensemble de ces résultats suggèrent une extension en profondeur de la zone sismogène (i.e une largeur) de près de 70 km face aux îles de la Dominique et de la Martinique. Ces travaux doivent cependant être poursuivis afin d’évaluer pleinement la capacité de la zone de subduction des Petites Antilles à générer un éventuel séisme de méga-chevauchement. Le taux de couplage à l'interplaque doit être précisé ainsi que sa possible segmentation en lien, par exemple, avec à l'entrée en subduction des rides océaniques.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00172/28335/26628.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00172/28335/