Éditeur(s) : Yale University
Résumé : Sea-surface temperature images of the coastal upwelling regions off Northwest Africa show that the core of upwelling is sometimes located far from the coast. This has been documented in three regions that share a common feature, namely a wide and shallow continental shelf. This upwelling feature plays a key role in the ecology of the Canary Current System. It creates an innerfront which provides retention for biological material, e.g. fish eggs and larvae, in the highly productive nearshore environment. An analytical model has been developed based on a two dimensional extension of Ekman's solution. The linear and steady response of a homogeneous ocean forced by an upwelling-favorable wind provides a mechanism for the upwelling separation from the coast. The merging of the surface and bottom Ekman layers induces a very weak cross-shore circulation and a "kinematic barrier" for the Ekman transport divergence. In the case of an alongshore wind, the barrier is located near the isobath h ≈ 0.4D, where D is the thickness of Ekman layers. This yields an upwelling cell which is essentially concentrated in the region 0.5D < h < 1.25D, with upwelling occurring preferentially near the isobath h ≈ 0.6D. It turns out that the cross-shore width of upwelling scales with D/S, the ratio of Ekman depth to bottom topographic slope. The application of this solution to real bathymetric profiles rationalizes, not only the offshore upwelling observations in Northwest Africa, but also the influence of topography on the cross-shelf structure of a wind-driven coastal upwelling. The model also quantifies the effect of the cross-shore wind component showing how it drives the nearshore pressure gradient adjustment and how it affects the upwelling. A linear numerical experiment reproduces the theoretical steady solution, thereby allowing investigation of the transient regime. Relaxation of the hypothesis in the numerical model validates the linear assumption of the theory and then allows investigation of the sensitivity to friction parameterizations and the influence of stratification. The latter leads to an "oscillation" of the upwelling cell with seaward migration driven by outcropping and homogeneization of the water column, and, coastal incursion driven by a "boundary layers splitting" process caused by shoreward advection of the isopycnal dome and stratification of the inner shelf.
Journal of Marine Research (Yale University), 2008-09 , Vol. 66 , N. 5 , P. 589-616

Droits : 2008 Yale University
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/publication-6334.pdf
DOI:10.1357/002224008787536790
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6334/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
The lateral variation of the mechanical properties of continental lithosphere is an important factor controlling the localization of deformation and thus the deformation history and geometry of intraplate mountain belts. A series of three-layer lithospheric-scale analog models, with a strong domain (SD) embedded at various depths, are presented to investigate the development of topography and deformation patterns by having lateral heterogeneities within a weak continental lithosphere. The experiments, performed at a constant velocity and under normal gravity, indicate that the presence or absence of the SD controls whether deformation is localized or distributed at a lithospheric scale. Deformation and topography localize above the edges of the SD, while the SD region itself is characterized by minor amounts of surficial deformation and topography. The depth of the SD (within the ductile crust, ductile mantle lithosphere, or both) controls the pattern of deformation and thus the topography. The presence of a SD in the ductile crust or in the mantle results in limited surficial topographic effects but large variations in the Moho topography. Strong Moho deflection occurs when the SD is in the ductile crust, while the Moho remains almost flat when the SD is in the mantle. When the SD occupies the ductile lithosphere, the SD is tilted. These analog experiments provide insights into intraplate strain localization and could in particular explain the topography around the Tarim Basin, a lithospheric-scale heterogeneity north of the India-Asia collision zone.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-01172472
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01172472
DOI : 10.1002/2014TC003756

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Variation of dead wood decay rates among tropical trees remains one source of uncertainty in global models of the carbon cycle. Taking advantage of a broad forest plot network surveyed for tree mortality over a 23-year period, we measured the remaining fraction of boles from 367 dead trees from 26 neotropical species widely varying in wood density (0.23–1.24 g cm-3) and tree circumference at death time (31.5–272.0 cm). We modeled decay rates within a Bayesian framework assuming a first order differential equation to model the decomposition process and tested for the effects of forest management (selective logging vs. unexploited), of mode of death (standing vs. downed) and of topographical levels (bottomlands vs. hillsides vs. hilltops) on wood decay rates. The general decay model predicts the observed remaining fraction of dead wood (R2 = 60%) with only two biological predictors: tree circumference at death time and wood specific density. Neither selective logging nor local topography had a differential effect on wood decay rates. Including the mode of death into the model revealed thatstanding dead trees decomposed faster than downed dead trees, but the gain of model accuracy remains rather marginal. Overall, these results suggest that the release of carbon from tropical dead trees to the atmosphere can be simply estimated using tree circumference at death time and wood density.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01094187
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01094187
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-010-1602-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The growth of relief in active tectonic areas is mainly controlled by the interactions between tectonics and surface processes (erosion and sedimentation). The study of long-lived morphologic markers formed by these interactions can help in quantifying the competing effects of tectonics, erosion and sedimentation. In regions experiencing active extension, river-long profiles and faceted spurs (triangular facets) can help in un- derstanding the development of mountainous topography along normal fault scarps. In this study, we devel- oped analogue experiments that simulate the morphologic evolution of a mountain range bounded by a normal fault. This paper focuses on the effect of the fault slip rate on the morphologic evolution of the foot- wall by performing three analogue experiments with different fault slip rates under a constant rainfall rate. A morphometric analysis of the modelled catchments allows comparing with a natural case (Tunka half- graben, Siberia). After a certain amount of fault slip, the modelled footwall topographies of our models reaches a dynamic equilibrium (i.e., erosion balances tectonic uplift relative to the base level) close to the fault, whereas the topography farther from the fault is still being dissected due to regressive erosion. We show that the rates of vertical erosion in the area where dynamic equilibrium is reached and the rate of re- gressive erosion are linearly correlated with the fault throw rate. Facet morphology seems to depend on the fault slip rate except for the fastest experiment where faceted spurs are degraded due to mass wasting. A stream-power law is computed for the area wherein rivers reach a topographic equilibrium. We show that the erosional capacity of the system depends on the fault slip rate. Finally, our results demonstrate the pos- sibility of preserving convex river-long profiles on the long-term under steady external (tectonic uplift and rainfall) conditions.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00646966
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00646966
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00646966/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00646966/file/preprint_Strak_2011.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2011.10.005

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
We use 3 yr of surface absolute gravity measurements at three sites on the Larzac plateau (France) to quantify the changes induced by topography and the building on gravity time-series, with respect to an idealized infinite slab approximation. Indeed, local topography and buildings housing ground-based gravity measurement have an effect on the distribution of water storage changes, therefore affecting the associated gravity signal. We first calculate the effects of surrounding topography and building dimensions on the gravity attraction for a uniform layer of water. We show that a gravimetric interpretation of water storage change using an infinite slab, the so-called Bouguer approximation, is generally not suitable. We propose to split the time varying gravity signal in two parts (1) a surface component including topographic and building effects (2) a deep component associated to underground water transfer. A reservoir modelling scheme is herein presented to remove the local site effects and to invert for the effective hydrological properties of the unsaturated zone. We show that effective time constants associated to water transfer vary greatly from site to site. We propose that our modelling scheme can be used to correct for the local site effects on gravity at any site presenting a departure from a flat topography. Depending on sites, the corrected signal can exceed measured values by 5-15 μGal, corresponding to 120-380 mm of water using the Bouguer slab formula. Our approach only requires the knowledge of daily precipitation corrected for evapotranspiration. Therefore, it can be a useful tool to correct any kind of gravimetric time-series data.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00795590
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795590
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag (Germany)
Résumé : International audience
Surface displacements due to temporal changes in environmental mass redistributions are observable in the coordinate time series of many Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sites. In this study, we investigated the effect of loading on estimates of tectonic velocity computed from campaign-style GNSS observations. The study region is in the Pyrenees mountain range between France and Spain (ResPyr campaigns). In this area, seismic activity is continuous and moderate and the expected amplitude of the horizontal tectonic velocity is less than 0.5 mm/yr. In order to determine the velocity, 4 sparse GNSS campaigns were carried out from 1995 to 2010. Considering this small rate of deformation, loading phenomena can contribute a non-negligible artifact to the velocity computation that could affect our geodynamical interpretation. In this investigation, we specifically considered the atmospheric, hydrological, and non-tidal ocean loading phenomena. The computed loading deformations for this region show the horizontal displacements are dominated by the non-tidal ocean loading (maximum 4 mm for the North and 3.1 mm for the East components); the main vertical contributions are due to the atmospheric and continental water storage loading (maximum 14.3 for the atmosphere and 8.1 mm for the hydrology, respectively). We have found that the dominant loading effect on the horizontal velocity is the non-tidal ocean loading (mean of 0.11 mm/yr), whereas the vertical component is dominated by the hydrological loading (mean of 0.21 mm/yr). Since the study area is in a mountainous region, we also analyzed the difference between the atmospheric and the topography dependent atmospheric loading models at our GNSS campaign sites. We did not find any significant difference between the two atmospheric loading models in terms of horizontal velocity. Finally, we performed simulations to identify the optimum timing and frequency of future GNSS campaigns in this area that would minimize the loading effects on tectonic velocity estimates.
ISSN: 0039-3169

hal-00963629
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00963629
DOI : 10.1007/s11200-012-0458-2

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Sandbox modeling is used to study the deformation of accretionary wedges caused by the subduction of oceanic ridges. The first experiment incorporates a massive ridge within a sand wedge. The wedge thickens and shortens when the forward propagation of the basal decollement ceases. The wedge thickening results in taper change, reactivation of preexisting thrusts, and retreat of the frontal part of the sand wedge. Similar mechanisms may have affected some margins that have undergone ridge subduction such as the Tonga margin after the subduction of the oblique Louisville oceanic ridge. The second experiment shows the effects of an active basement thrust slice as it enters a subduction zone. This process may have happened in the eastern Nankai accretionary wedge. Initially, the wedge in this experiment behaved similarly to that of the first experiment. Rapidly the topographic slope changed, the wedge thickened above the basement slice generating a slope break in the topography; a deeper propagating accretionary wedge again characterized by a small taper developed. These results, when compared with observations made in the Eastern Nankai Trench, are in agreement with the past subduction of a basement thrust slice in this area.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-01261549
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261549
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261549/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01261549/file/Lallemand_et_al-1992-Tectonics.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/92TC00637

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Deep-seated gravitational spreading (DSGS) affects the slopes of formerly glaciated mountain ridges. On Mars, DSGS has played a key role in shaping the landforms of the giant Valles Marineris troughs. Though less spectacular, DSGS is common in terrestrial orogens, where understanding its mechanics is critical in the light of the ongoing climate change because it is a potential source of catastrophic landslides in deglaciated valleys. We conducted parametric numerical studies in order to identify important factors responsible for DSGS initiation. DSGS models are computed using an elastoviscoplastic finite element code. Using ADELI's software, we reproduce topographic ridge spreading under the effect of valley unloading. Two types of spreading topographic ridges are investigated, homogeneous or with horizontal rheological layering. We find that gravitational instabilities are enhanced by high slopes, which increase gravitational stress, and low friction and cohesion, which decrease yield stress. In the unlayered ridge, instability is triggered by glacial unloading with plastic strain concentration inside the ridge and at the base of the high slopes. Vertical fractures develop in the upper part of the slope, potentially leading to fault scarps. Ridge homogeneity promotes a deformation mode controlled by uphill-facing normal faulting and basal bulging. In the second case, the ridge encompasses horizontal geological discontinuities that induce rock mass anisotropy. Discontinuity located at the base of the slope accumulates plastic strain, leading to the formation of a sliding plane evolving into a landslide. The presence of a weak layer at ridge base therefore promotes another slope deformation mode ending up with catastrophic failure. Mechanical conditions and slope height being equal, these conclusions can probably be extrapolated to Earth. Compared with Mars, DSGS on Earth is inhibited because terrestrial topographic gradients are lower than in Valles Marineris, an effect counterbalanced by increased gravitational stress, where the intensity of deformation is enhanced because of the Earth gravity potential.
ISSN: 0169-555X

hal-01420007
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01420007
DOI : 10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.06.011

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : 38 pages
Rapport
The Chicxulub impact crater, México, is unique. It is the only known terrestrial impact structure that has been directly linked to a mass extinction event and the only terrestrial impact with a global ejecta layer. Of the three largest impact structures on Earth, Chicxulub is the best preserved. Chicxulub is also the only known terrestrial impact structure with an intact, unequivocal topographic peak ring. Chicxulub’s role in the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and its exceptional state of preservation make it an important natural laboratory for the study of both large impact crater formation on Earth and other planets and the effects of large impacts on the Earth’s environment and ecology. Our understanding of the impact process is far from complete, and despite more than 30 years of intense debate, we are still striving to answer the question as to why this impact was so catastrophic.During International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 364, Paleogene sediments and lithologies that make up the Chicxulub peak ring were cored to investigate (1) the nature and formational mechanism of peak rings, (2) how rocks are weakened during large impacts, (3) the nature and extent of post-impact hydrothermal circulation, (4) the deep biosphere and habitability of the peak ring, and (5) the recovery of life in a sterile zone. Other key targets included sampling the transition through a rare midlatitude section that might include Eocene and Paleocene hyperthermals and/or the Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM); the composition and character of the impact breccias, melt rocks, and peak-ring rocks; the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Paleocene–Eocene Chicxulub impact basin infill; the chronology of the peak-ring rocks; and any observations from the core that may help us constrain the volume of dust and climatically active gases released into the stratosphere by this impact. Petrophysical property measurements on the core and wireline logs acquired during Expedition 364 will be used to calibrate geophysical models, including seismic reflection and potential field data, and the integration of all the data will calibrate impact crater models for crater formation and environmental effects. The proposed drilling directly contributes to IODP Science Plan goals:Climate and Ocean Change: How resilient is the ocean to chemical perturbations? The Chicxulub impact represents an external forcing event that caused a 75% level mass extinction. The impact basin may also record key hyperthermals within the Paleogene.Biosphere Frontiers: What are the origin, composition, and global significance of subseafloor communities? What are the limits of life in the subseafloor? How sensitive are ecosystems and biodiversity to environmental change? Impact craters can create habitats for subsurface life, and Chicxulub may provide information on potential habitats for life, including extremophiles, on the early Earth and other planetary bodies. Paleontological and geochemical studies at ground zero will document how large impacts affect ecosystems and effects on biodiversity.Earth Connections/Earth in Motion: What are the composition, structure and dynamics of Earth’s upper mantle? What mechanisms control the occurrence of destructive earthquakes, landslides, and tsunami? Mantle uplift in response to impacts provides insight into dynamics that differ between Earth and other rocky planets. Impacts generate earthquakes, landslides, and tsunami, and scales that generally exceed plate tectonic processes yield insight into effects, the geologic record, and potential hazards.IODP Expedition 364 was a Mission Specific Platform expedition to obtain subseabed samples and downhole logging measurements from the sedimentary cover sequence and peak ring of the Chicxulub impact crater. A single borehole was drilled into the Chicxulub impact crater on the Yucatán continental shelf, recovering core from 505.7 to 1334.73 m below seafloor with ~99% core recovery and acquiring downhole logs for the entire depth.
International Ocean Discovery Program

hal-01639520
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01639520
DOI : 10.14379/iodp.pr.364.2017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : In habitat mosaics, plant populations face environmental heterogeneity over short geographical distances. Such steep environmental gradients can induce ecological divergence. Lowland rainforests of the Guiana Shield are characterized by sharp, short-distance environmental variations related to topography and soil characteristics (from waterlogged bottomlands on hydromorphic soils to well-drained terra firme on ferralitic soils). Continuous plant populations distributed along such gradients are an interesting system to study intrapopulation divergence at highly local scales. This study tested (1) whether conspecific populations growing in different habitats diverge at functional traits, and (2) whether they diverge in the same way as congeneric species having different habitat preferences. Phenotypic differentiation was studied within continuous populations occupying different habitats for two congeneric, sympatric, and ecologically divergent tree species (Eperua falcata and E. grandiflora, Fabaceae). Over 3000 seeds collected from three habitats were germinated and grown in a common garden experiment, and 23 morphological, biomass, resource allocation and physiological traits were measured. In both species, seedling populations native of different habitats displayed phenotypic divergence for several traits (including seedling growth, biomass allocation, leaf chemistry, photosynthesis and carbon isotope composition). This may occur through heritable genetic variation or other maternally inherited effects. For a sub-set of traits, the intraspecific divergence associated with environmental variation coincided with interspecific divergence. The results indicate that mother trees from different habitats transmit divergent trait values to their progeny, and suggest that local environmental variation selects for different trait optima even at a very local spatial scale. Traits for which differentiation within species follows the same pattern as differentiation between species indicate that the same ecological processes underlie intra- and interspecific variation.
ISSN: 0305-7364

hal-01032430
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032430
DOI : 10.1093/aob/mct176

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Among erosion processes, river incision is classicaly described as a key process controlling erosion of landscapes. Incision efficiency is mainly influenced by climate and erodibility. This latter is not only dependent on the nature of the bedrock, but also on its past deformation, which affects its rheological effective properties, such as fracture density. The main objectives of this thesis are: (1) to better constrain the relationship between effective properties and erodibility, and (2) to quantify the influence of erodibility and erosion on both the temporal and spatial building or decay of the topography. Several numerical tools are developed. A 1D formalism of landscape evolution is introduced, including river incision with stochastic distribution of water discharge and hillslope landsliding. A new remeshing algorithm called Surface Lagrangian Remeshing (SLR) is developed as a complement to remeshing algorithms dealing with internal elements. It allows one to take into account long-term erosion into 2D Lagrangian numerical codes based on triangular finite elements. Then the potentiality of measuring erodibility in-situ using a Schmidt hammer (R) is assessed for the active orogen of Taiwan, the diagenetic Annot sandstones and St Clement fault zone. Results suggest a strong control of R by effective properties. A linear model based on effective medium theory is applied to a fault zone with an unmacthed resolution (750 measures, 25 measures per square meter). The model successfully correlates R to fracture density. These results demonstrate that effective elasticity as well as erodibility are sensitive to the density and type of fractures. Finally I focus on the erosional and rheological conditions that allows reproducing post-orogenic evolution of mountain belts. A model coupling surface erosion and regional isostatic uplift is consistent with observations. The topographic decay and decrease of the ratio of surface elevation over crustal root thickness is at first order controlled by the initial geometry of the mountain belt and erosion efficiency. This new model highlights the control ofclimate and erodibility on the topographic decay and of lithospheric rheology on the perseverance of crustal roots.
Parmi les processus d'érosion, l'incision des rivières est classiquement décrit comme un processus clé contrôlant l'érosion des paysages. L'efficacité de l'incision est principalement influencée par le climat et par l'érodabilité. Ce dernier paramètre ne dépend pas seulement de la nature du substratum rocheux, mais aussi de sa déformation passée qui affecte ses propriétés rhéologiques équivalentes. Les principaux objectifs de cette thèse sont: (1) de mieux contraindre les relations entre propriétés équivalentes et érodabilité, et (2) de quantifier l'influence de l'érosion et de l'érodabilité sur la formation ou la décadence, spatiale et temporelle, de la topographie. Plusieurs outils numériques sont développés. Un formalisme 1D d'évolution des paysages est proposé, prenant en compte simultanément l'incision des rivières avec une distribution stochastique des débits en eau et l'érosion des versants par glissements de terrain. Un nouvel algorithme de remaillage appelé Surface Lagrangian Remeshing (SLR) est développé. Il permet de prendre en compte l'érosion à long terme dans les codes numériques 2D Lagrangiens basés sur des éléments finis triangulaires. Ensuite, la possibilité de mesurer in-situ l'érodabilité avec un marteau de Schmidt (R) est évaluée pour: l'orogène actif de Taiwan, les grès diagénétiques d'Annot et la zone de faille de St Clément. Les résultats suggèrent un fort contrôle de R par les propriétés équivalentes des roches testées. Un modèle linéaire, basé sur la théorie des milieux équivalents, est appliqué à une zone de faille avec une résolution inégalée (750 mesures, 25 mesures par mètre carré). Le modèle permet de corréler avec succès la densité de fracture et R. Ces résultats démontrent empiriquement que l'élasticité équivalente ainsi que l'érodabilité sont sensibles à la densité et à la nature des fractures. Enfin j'étudie les conditions d'érosion et de rhéologie qui permettent de reproduire l'évolution des chaînes de montagnes post-orogéniques. Un modèle couplant érosion en surface et soulèvement isostatique régional est compatible avec les observations. Les taux de décroissance topographique et de diminution du rapport de l'élévation de surface sur l'épaisseur de racine crustale sont contrôlés au premier ordre par la géométrie initiale de la chaîne de montagne et par l'efficacité de l'érosion. Ce nouveau modèle met en évidence le contrôle du climat et de l'érodabilité sur la décroissance topographique et de la rhéologie lithosphérique sur la persévérance des racines crustales.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00602341

tel-00602341
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00602341
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00602341/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00602341/file/thesephilippesteer.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Apatite fission track analysis (AFTA) data are used to bring new light on the long-term and recent history of the Baikal rift region (Siberia). We describe the evolution of the topography along a NW-SE profile from the Siberian platform to the Barguzin range across the Baikal-southern Patom range and the northern termination of Lake Baikal. Our results show that the Baikal-Patom range started to form in the Early Carboniferous and was reactivated in Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous times during the orogenic collapse of the Mongol-Okhotsk belt. Samples located in the Siberian platform recorded a continuous sedimentation up to the early Carboniferous but remain unaffected by later tectonic episodes. The Barguzin basin probably started to form as early as Late Cretaceous, suggesting a continuum of deformation between the postorogenic collapse and the opening of the Baikal Rift System (BRS). The initial driving mechanism for the opening of the BRS is thus independent from the India-Asia collision. AFTA show a late Miocene-early Pliocene increase in tectonic extension in the BRS that confirms previous thoughts and might reflect the first significant effect of the stress field generated by the India-Asia collision.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-00420895
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420895
DOI : 10.1029/2008TC002404

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In southeastern Taiwan a slice of forearc basement belonging to the Philippine Sea Plate upper-plate is suspected to subduct under the Luzon arc as a consequence of the transition from oceanic to incipient continental subduction. Effects on the morphology, deformation, geometry of structures and tectonic evolution of the orogenic wedge in the collision area are numerous. This study examines the impact of foreare lithosphere subduction on forearc basin and accretionary wedge deformation. A morpho-structural analysis of the geological features observed onland and offshore allows describing in detail the complex deformation suffered by the area. A combined approach by analogue modeling is applied to better understand the phenomenon. Comparison between nature and experimental results shows that subduction of a forearc basement slice induces intense shortening and concomitant deformation in the foreare domain. Such process involves deformation of the foreare basin previously developed in a setting of oceanic subduction. Sediments of the forearc basin are involved in the growth of a new thrust ridge backthrusted against the basement slope of the volcanic arc edifice. Sediments coming from the growing orogenic wedge are trapped in the trough developed between its backpart and the topographic high of the new rising ridge. A syn-collisional orogenic basin develops which structural evolution characterizes the progressive shortening of the forearc domain. Most of the deformation and tectonic events recorded offshore or onland in the complex area south of Taiwan can be explained using results of our specific modeling which well describe the tectonic processes associated with continental subduction under a volcanic are.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00420080
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420080
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2007.11.016

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
S U M M A R Y Over the last decade, thermomechanical models have revealed the control of both tectonics and erosion on the morphology of continental plateaus margins. However, unravelling the specific effects of these two coupled processes has been difficult in practice. Here, to assess the control of erosion, we investigate the dynamics of the eastern and the northern borders of the Tibetan Plateau, which are characterized by a low convergence rate and a steep topographic escarpment adjacent to the Sichuan and Tarim basins, respectively. Thermomechanical modelling of continental lithosphere coupled with fluvial denudation reveals that important crustal deformation with large-scale horizontal displacements can occur, without any convergence, as a response to mass transfer due to gravitational collapse and to erosional unloading. These processes are sensitive to crustal structure, geothermal gradient as well as surface erosion. At a timescale of several million years, our results suggest that this denudation-triggered deformation exerts a primary control on the evolution of those plateau margins by counterbalancing the mass removal due to erosion and stabilizing the topographic escarpment. This finding supports a possible explanation for the morphology of the Longmen Shan, eastern Tibet, in which the paradoxical combination of persistent high-topographic gradients close to the foreland and low convergence rates can be related to the influence of erosion on deformation patterns.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-01577060
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577060
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577060/document
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01577060/file/godard2009erosional.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04324.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Lateral variations along the Himalayan arc are suggested by an increasing number of studies and carry important information about the orogen’s segmentation. Here we compile the hitherto most complete land gravity dataset in the region which enables the currently highest resolution plausible analysis. To study lateral variations in collisional structure we compute arc-parallel gravity anomalies (APaGA) by subtracting the average arc-perpendicular profile from our dataset; we compute likewise for topography (APaTA). We find no direct correlation between APaGA, APaTA and background seismicity, as suggested in oceanic subduction context. In the Himalayas APaTA mainly reflect relief and erosional effects, whereas APaGA reflect the deep structure of the orogen with clear lateral boundaries. Four segments are outlined and have disparate flexural geometry: NE India, Bhutan, Nepal & India until Dehradun, and NW India. The segment boundaries in the India plate are related to inherited structures, and the boundaries of the Shillong block are highlighted by seismic activity. We find that large earthquakes of the past millennium do not propagate across the segment boundaries defined by APaGA, therefore these seem to set limits for potential rupture of megathrust earthquakes.
ISSN: 2045-2322

hal-01420404
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01420404
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01420404/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01420404/file/hetenyi2016.pdf
DOI : 10.1038/srep33866

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : Analysis of new high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, chirp profiles and previously published sidescan data, together with piston cores on the Danube Fan provide new insight into the recent sedimentation processes in the deep northwestern Black Sea.The latest channel-levee system on the Danube Fan developed probably during the Neoeuxinian lowstand (oxygene isotope stage 2) in a semi-freshwater basin with a water level about 100 m lower than today. Sediment supplied by the Danube was transported to the deep basin through the Viteaz Canyon, which was directly connected to the leveed channel of this system on the middle slope. Channel avulsion was common in the middle fan, as indicated by four main phases of bifurcation. Each phase developed after the same pattern: breaching of the lower and narrower left levee by turbidity currents, building of a unit of High Amplitude Reflection Packets (HARP) by the unchannelized flow while the former channel was abandoned, followed by initiation of a new meandering leveed channel. The northward migration through successive bifurcations is influenced by the asymmetry between levees, hence by the Coriolis effect. In the lower fan where the levees became too low to maintain a stable pathway for the turbiditic flows, channel migration occurred. Locations of HARPs and channels after bifurcation are controlled by the pre-existing bathymetry. Sedimentary deposits are confined between the high levees of unit 0 (the initial phase of the youngest channel-levee system) to the south, and the steep relief of the Dniepr Fan to the north.The HARPs of the most recent phase of avulsion are the most severely constrained by local topography and form a very narrow elongate structure that is at most half as thick as the previous HARPs. Their distal part is not covered by channel-levee systems and is visible both on sidescan mosaics and on chirp profiles and was sampled in core BLKS 98-20.Sea level controlled fan activity but the evolution of the last channel-levee system with several bifurcations during a single sea level lowstand suggests that the primary control of channel avulsion and sand delivery is probably autocyclic.The presence of important HARP sand bodies in the mud-rich Danube Fan is presumed by analogy with a similar seismic facies on the Amazon Fan and indicated by the sands cored in BLKS98-20. However, only drilling of the HARP units could verify this interpretation.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier), 2001-09 , Vol. 179 , N. 1-2 , P. 25-37

Droits : 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2001/publication-474.pdf
DOI:10.1016/S0025-3227(01)00197-9
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/474/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
After Jurassic rifting, numerous carbonate platforms (i.e., the Orizaba, Cordoba and Golden Lane-Tuxpan platforms) developed during the Lower and Middle Cretaceous episode of thermal subsidence along the western passive margin of the Gulf of Mexico, with intervening basinal domains (i.e., the Tampico-Misantla, Zongolica, Veracruz and Deep Gulf of Mexico - DGM - basins).;During the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene, the east-verging Sierra Madre Oriental thrust belt developed, resulting in tectonic uplift and unroofing of the allochthonous units (i.e. tectonic units made up of former Orizaba and Cordoba platforms and Zongolica Basin series). This new topography provided also an important source of clastics to feed the adjacent foredeep, where coeval tectonic loading accounted for the bending of the foreland lithosphere. However, shallow water facies or even emersion persisted until the Eocene in the forebulge area (at the present location of the Golden Lane), preventing locally the clastics to reach the DGM. This topographic barrier was ultimately bypassed by the clastics only during the Oligocene and Neogene, once (1) the prograding clastic wedge had exceeded accommodation, and (2) the long lasting thermal subsidence of the passive margin could overpass the effect of the bending and force the former bulge to sink.;Numerous paleo-thermo-meters (Tmax, Ro), paleo-thermo-barometers (fluid inclusions), PVT and coupled forward kinematic and thermal modeling have been used to calibrate and date the progressive unroofing of the thrust belt. Coupled tectonic and sedimentologic modeling was applied in the foreland to predict the distribution of sand versus shale ratios in the Oligocene to Plio-Quaternary clastic sedimentary wedge of the passive margin, where gravitational gliding of post-Eocene series occurred during the Neogene along major listric faults.;Mantle dynamics are advocated as the main process accounting for post-orogenic uplift and regional tilting of the basement, which initiated a massive transfer of sediments from the Cordillera towards the Gulf of Mexico, from Oligocene onward, resulting in a destabilization and gravitational collapse of the western slope of the Gulf of Mexico in Neogene times.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00445248
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00445248
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2009.04.012

Éditeur(s) : Amer Meteorological Soc
Résumé : The Congo River has the second largest rate of flow in the world and is mainly responsible for the broad tongue of low-salinity water that is observed in the Gulf of Guinea. Despite their importance, near-equatorial river plumes have not been studied as thoroughly as midlatitude plumes and their dynamics remain unclear. Using both theory and idealized numerical experiments that reproduce the major characteristics of the region, the authors have investigated the dynamics of the Congo River plume and examine its sensitivity to different forcing mechanisms. It is found that near-equatorial plumes are more likely to be surface trapped than midlatitude plumes, and the importance of the effect in describing the strong offshore extent of the low-salinity tongue during most of the year is demonstrated. It is shown that the buoyant plume constrained by the geomorphology is subject to the pulling of nonlinear structures and wavelike equatorial dynamics. The wind is found to strengthen the intrinsic buoyancy-driven dynamics and impede the development of the coastal southward current, in coherence with observations.
Journal Of Physical Oceanography (0022-3670) (Amer Meteorological Soc), 2014-03 , Vol. 44 , N. 3 , P. 980-994

Droits : 2014 American Meteorological Society
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00187/29850/28298.pdf
DOI:10.1175/JPO-D-13-0132.1
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00187/29850/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The island of Taiwan is located on the convergent boundary between the Philippine Sea plate and the Chinese continental margin. It offers very active mountain building and collapsing processes well illustrated by the rugged topography, rapid uplift and denudation, young tectonic landforms, active faulting and numerous earthquakes. In this paper, using simple models, we have estimated vertical movements and associated absolute gravity variations which can be expected along a profile crossing the southern part of the island and probably suffering the highest rates of rising. The two different tectonic styles proposed for the island, thin-skinned and thick-skinned, were taken into account. Horizontal and vertical movements were modeled by an elastic deformation code. Gravity variations due to these deformations are then modeled at a second step. They are dominated by plate and free-air effects, i.e. elevation of the topography, with several mu Gal yr(-1). By comparison, gravity changes generated by mass transfers are weak: maximum 0.1 mu Gal yr(-1) with the thin-skinned tectonic and 0.3 mu Gal yr(-1) with the thick-skinned tectonic. Though elastic rheology has limitations, this modeling offers interesting results on what gravity signal can be expected from the AGTO project (Absolute Gravity in the Taiwanese Orogen), which proposes to study the dynamic of these mountain ranges using absolute gravimetry (AG) and also including relative gravimetry (RG) and GPS measurements.
ISSN: 0264-3707

hal-00456035
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456035
DOI : 10.1016/j.jog.2009.09.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : Joint inversions are now commonly used in Earth Sciences. They have been developed to better understand Earth structure 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 3-D crustal and upper mantle structures. Our inversion uses 3 kind of data which present a good complementarity : (1) P receiver functions to provide Moho depth variations, (2) teleseismic delay times of P waves to retrieve velocity anomalies in the crust and upper mantle, (3) gravity anomalies to image density variations at lithospheric scale. In our scheme, receiver functions are first inverted. The resulting Moho depths are then interpolated and incorporated as a priori information into the joint inversion of teleseismic delay times and gravity anomalies process. In our new approach, we perform a model space search for Moho variations, P-velocity and density structure to find acceptable fit to the three data sets. In order to preferentially sample the good data fit region, we chose the Neighborhood algorithm of Sambridge to optimistically survey the model space. We model the delay times with a 3-D raytracing using velocity nodes evenly spaced and linked with density nodes via a linear relationship. This relationship can evolve through depth, simulating its pressure dependance. We test our scheme on synthetic examples, and apply the method in a continental rifting region where deformation processes are complex and badly known. This joint inversion thus provides more constraints on the inverted parameters, and allows us to better image crust - mantle interactions in the case of the Hangai dome (Central Mongolia). Indeed, in this area, we expect an asthenospheric upwelling to dynamically support the topography, but we image a density - velocity anomaly in the lower crust. The effects on topography and the origin (composition vs. thermal) of this anomaly are still under debate.
Les inversions conjointes sont maintenant communément utilisées en Sciences de la Terre. Elles ont été développées afin d'améliorer notre connaissance et compréhension de la structure interne de la Terre puisqu'elles apportent de plus en plus de contraintes sur les paramètres inversés. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons un nouveau processus d'inversion conjointe qui prend en compte trois paramètres différents et qui mène à l'obtention d'un modèle lithosphérique tridimensionnel. Notre méthode utilise trois types de données gravimétriques et sismologiques qui présentent une bonne complémentarité : (1) Les fonctions récepteur P afin d'obtenir les variations de profondeur du Moho, (2) les délais de temps d'arrivées P des téléséismes pour retrouver les anomalies de vitesse dans la croûte et le manteau supérieur, (3) les anomalies gravimétriques qui donnent accès aux variations de densité à l'échelle lithosphérique. Dans le schéma d'inversion proposé, nous inversons d'abord les fonctions récepteur. Les variations de profondeur du Moho qui en résultent sont alors interpolées puis incorporées comme information a priori dans le processus d'inversion conjointe gravimétrie - tomographie télésismique. Que ce soit pour les fonctions récepteur ou pour la partie conjointe, notre méthode d'inversion se base sur un algorithme de recherche afin de trouver la structure qui minimise l'écart aux trois types de données. Nous avons opté pour l'algorithme de voisinage qui présente l'avantage de concentrer sa recherche dans les régions qui minimisent l'écart aux données sans toutefois abandonner les autres régions afin de limiter les risques de convergence vers un minimum local. Nous utilisons un modèle 3-D constitué de noeuds de vitesse afin de modéliser les délais de temps. Ces noeuds de vitesse sont liés aux noeuds de densité grâce à une relation linéaire entre vitesse et densité. Cette relation peut évoluer avec la profondeur de manière à simuler les effets dus aux variations de pression. Nous avons réalisé plusieurs tests synthétiques afin d'évaluer le comportement de notre nouvelle méthode. Ils ont permis de montrer que les variations du Moho ainsi que les anomalies de vitesse et densité sont bien retrouvées. Ils ont également montré l'importance de la prise en compte de ces trois types de données dans un même schéma d'inversion, notamment en ce qui concerne la faculté de discerner les variations d'interfaces des anomalies volumiques. Nous avons ensuite appliqué la méthode dans une région continentale en phase de rifting où les processus de déformation sont complexes et mal connus. Notre nouvelle méthode a apporté davantage de contraintes sur les paramètres inversés et a permis d'obtenir un modèle correctement résolu de la croûte et du manteau supérieur sous le dôme de Hangai (Mongolie Centrale). Une anomalie asthénosphérique sous le dôme est souvent invoquée pour expliquer sa topographie élevée mais c'est une anomalie (en vitesse et densité) crustale (croûte inférieure) qui s'exprime dans nos modèles. Ses effets sur la topographie et son origine (compositionnelle et/ou thermique) sont encore débattus et nécessiteraient des études plus poussées (paramétriques, VP =VS, ...).
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00783524

tel-00783524
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00783524
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00783524/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00783524/file/Basuyau2011.pdf