Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
We present a 2-D Contact Dynamics discrete element model for simulating initiation and motion of rock avalanches, integrating hillslope geometry, Mohr-Coulomb rock behavior, pore pressure before avalanche triggering, and avalanche trigger. Avalanche motion is modeled as a dense granular flow of dry frictional and cohesive particles. On the basis of granular physics and shear experiments, we review some of the theories for the unexpectedly long runout of rock avalanches. Different causes are evoked, according to the strength (strong or weak) of the slip surface relative to the bulk. "Mechanical fluidization'' and "acoustic fluidization'' theories state that agitation of rock particles reduces frictional strength, increasing runout. Conversely, granular mechanics suggests that, as "shear-strain'' rate increases, granular material becomes more agitated, more dissipative, and more resistant. Another theory states that dynamic fragmentation of clasts creates an isotropic pressure that drives longer runout. In contrast, granular mechanics suggests that fragmentation may induce fluidization and strengthening of the granular material, while particle size reduction (among others) induces weakening of the granular flow and enhances long runout. Runout is also enhanced for column-like rock masses collapsing from steep hillslopes. Long runout may also be linked to thermal weakening mechanisms at the slip surface (e.g., thermal pressurization, and shear melting), which may lower drastically the shear strength. The model is illustrated with a hypothetical example of a rain-triggered avalanche, mobilizing shallowly dipping layers. Several phases are identified, including slope failure, avalanche triggering resulting from slip weakening, and avalanche motion in which rocks are folded and sheared.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00420883
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420883
DOI : 10.1029/2008JF001072

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The present PhD thesis is devoted to the numerical simulation and analysis of shear on cohesive granular materials. In the framework of the Contact Dynamics method, we developed a model of cohesive bonding, which mimics cohesion by cementation. This model involves three contact strength parameters (a tensile strength, a coefficient of sliding friction, and a coefficient of rolling friction) as well as a local criterion, which controls the creation and the breaking of cohesive bonds. All contacts are cohesive at the beginning of the numerical simulations, and contact rupture leads to an irreversible loss of tensile strength (debonding). We varied systematically the three contact strength parameters and studied their influence on the shear strength, the dilatancy, and the microstructure of the granular media. Our results show that internal friction and macroscopic tensile strength have different origins at the contact scale. We also find that the microstructure of the granular media, when sheared at the steady state (also known as the `critical state"), is strongly affected by the local coefficients of sliding and rolling friction. In particular, the mechanical role of the weak network changes with these two contact parameters, which results from the formation of a new structure of force transmission. On the other hand, we also applied the same numerical simulation method to the simulation of landslides. We developed a methodology, which takes into account the initial morphology of the hillslope, the strength of geomaterials, and a triggering factor, integrating in the same model the initiation and propagation phases of the landslide. To illustrate this methodology, we applied it to the simulation of a hypothetical example of avalanche triggered by the progressive rise of a water table.
Ce travail de thèse porte sur la modélisation numérique et l'analyse du cisaillement dans les milieux granulaires cohésifs. Dans le cadre de la méthode de la Dynamique des Contacts, nous avons développé un modèle de cohésion qui cherche à imiter la cohésion par cimentation. Ce modèle fait intervenir trois paramètres de résistance au niveau des contacts (une résistance à la traction, un coefficient de frottement de glissement, et un coefficient de frottement de roulement) ainsi qu'un critère de création et de rupture des liens cohésifs. Les contacts sont cohésifs au début des simulations et leur rupture entraîne la perte irréversible de la résistance à la traction. Nous avons fait varier les trois paramètres microscopiques et nous avons étudié leur influence dans la résistance au cisaillement, la dilatance, et la microstructure du milieu. Nos résultats montrent que le frottement interne et l'adhésion macroscopiques ont des origines microscopiques différentes. Nous observons aussi que la microstructure du milieu cisaillé à l'état stationnaire (aussi connu comme ``l'état critique") est fortement affectée par l'angle de frottement et la résistance au roulement au niveau des contacts. En particulier, le rôle mécanique du réseau faible change avec ces deux paramètres microscopiques, ce qui résulte de la formation d'une nouvelle structure de transmission de forces. D'autre part, nous avons appliqué cette méthode de simulation numérique à l'étude d'un processus naturel : les glissements de terrain. Nous avons développé une méthodologie qui tient compte de la morphologie initiale du système, de la résistance des géomatériaux, et d'un mécanisme de déclanchement, ce qui permet d'intégrer dans le même modèle les phases d'initiation et de propagation du glissement. Pour illustrer cette méthodologie, nous l'avons appliquée à la modélisation d'un exemple hypothétique d'avalanche déclenchée par la montée progressive du niveau d'une nappe d'eau.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00311303

tel-00311303
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00311303
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00311303/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00311303/file/these_estrada.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
In this paper, we compare the effect of rolling resistance at the contacts in granular systems composed of disks with the effect of angularity in granular systems composed of regular polygonal particles. For this purpose, we use contact dynamics simulations. By means of a simple shear numerical device, we investigate the mechanical behavior of these materials in the steady state in terms of shear strength, solid fraction, force and fabric anisotropies, and probability distribution of contact forces. We find that, based on the energy dissipation associated with relative rotation between two particles in contact, the effect of rolling resistance can explicitly be identified with that of the number of sides in a regular polygonal particle. This finding supports the use of rolling resistance as a shape parameter accounting for particle angularity and shows unambiguously that one of the main influencing factors behind the mechanical behavior of granular systems composed of noncircular particles is the partial hindrance of rotations as a result of angular particle shape.
AIP Conference Proceedings
Sydney, Australia

hal-00842799
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00842799
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00842799/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00842799/file/Comparison_effects_rolling_Estrada_al.pdf

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : High P-wave velocities (7.1-7.8 km/s) lower crustal bodies (LCBs) imaged along volcanic margins are commonly interpreted as plume and break-up-related thick mafic underplating. This interpretation is partly challenged in this paper based on new seismic observations and modelling of the outer Voring Basin (Norway). An exceptional strong amplitude reflection, the T Reflection, is particularly well defined below the North Gjallar Ridge (NGR) between 7 and 8 s TWT. The T Reflection is located near the volcanic lava flows emplaced during the NE Atlantic breakup (similar to 55-54 Ma ago) and coincides with the top of the LCB, forming a mid-crustal dome. Based on structural and temporal relationships, we show that the dome clearly influences the structural development of the NGR and predates the continental breakup at least by 10-15 Ma. Using a thermo-kinematical model, we tried also to investigate and quantify the relationships between the extension, LCB and the magmatic production. Modelling suggests that significant Paleocene-Early Eocene magmatism can be produced without any temperature anomaly in the mantle if differential stretching occurs during the break-up initiation. The conclusion of 2D thermo-kinematical parametric analysis is that the magmatic model predicts, either little extension (beta < 2) with no melting or high extension (beta > 5) with significant melting along the outer Voring Basin. We suggest that the continental part of the LCB could not necessarily be breakup-related and so magmatic, as has often been stated previously. It is concluded here that the continental part of the LCB observed beneath the outer Voring Basin may be partly (or fully) attributed to inherited, high-pressure granulite/eclogite lower crustal rocks. The real amount of mafic material emplaced along the outer Voring Basin could be 20-40% less than thought.
Tectonophysics (0040-1951) (Elsevier), 2006 , Vol. 412 , N. 3-4 , P. 255-278

Droits : 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2006/publication-1042.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.tecto.2005.10.038
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/1042/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Physical Society
Résumé : International audience
This is the first of two papers investigating the mechanical response of cemented granular materials by means of contact dynamics simulations. In this paper, a two-dimensional polydisperse sample with high-void ratio is constructed and then sheared in a simple shear numerical device at different confinement levels. We study the macroscopic response of the material in terms of mean and deviatoric stresses and strains. We show that the introduction of a local force scale, i.e., the tensile strength of the cemented bonds, causes the material to behave in a rigid-plastic fashion, so that a yield surface can be easily determined. This yield surface has a concave-down shape in the mean: deviatoric stress plane and it approaches a straight line, i.e., a Coulomb strength envelope, in the limit of a very dense granular material. Beyond yielding, the cemented structure gradually degrades until the material eventually behaves as a cohesionless granular material. Strain localization is also investigated, showing that the strains concentrate in a shear band whose thickness increases with the confining stress. The void ratio inside the shear band at the steady state is shown to be a material property that depends only on contact parameters.
ISSN: 1539-3755

hal-00523453
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00523453
DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.82.011303

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : This paper presents a numerical investigation on the mechanical behavior of cemented granular materials by means of discrete element simulations. In particular, two conceptual elements of this behavior were explored: the yield surfaces and the plastic potentials, as defined in the framework of elastoplastic constitutive models. For this purpose, we implemented a contact model that mimics the mechanical behavior of cemented bonds, we constructed a set of polydisperse samples with different solid fractions, and we tested these samples by means of a biaxial device with four rigid walls. The yield surfaces and plastic potentials were thus obtained and analyzed as functions of the solid fraction of the material, drawing interesting conclusions, confirming previous experimental findings, and, consequently, evidencing the great potential of discrete element simulations in exploring the behavior of real cemented geomaterials.
ISSN: 0266-352X

hal-00853748
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00853748
DOI : 10.1016/j.compgeo.2012.11.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Physical Society
Résumé : International audience
This is the second of two papers investigating the mechanical response of cemented granular materials by means of contact dynamics simulations. In this paper, a two-dimensional polydisperse sample with high void ratio is sheared in a load-controlled simple shear numerical device until the stress state of the sample reaches the yield stress. We first study the stress transmission properties of the granular material in terms of the fabric of different subsets of contacts characterized by the magnitude of their normal forces. This analysis highlights the existence of a peculiar force carrying structure in the cemented material, which is reminiscent of the bimodal stress transmission reported for cohesionless granular media. Then, the evolution of contact forces and torques is investigated trying to identify the micromechanical conditions that trigger macroscopic yielding. It is shown that global failure can be associated to the apparition of a group of particles whose contacts fulfill at least one of the local rupture conditions. In particular, these particles form a large region that percolates through the sample at the moment of failure, evidencing the relationship between macroscopic yielding and the emergence of large-scale correlations in the system.
ISSN: 1539-3755

hal-00523451
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00523451
DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevE.82.011304

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Fractures or discontinuities perpendicular to the least stress σ3 were generated in a synthetic rock analogue (granular, frictional, cohesive, and dilatant) material in axisymmetric extension tests. These fractures are of two types defined by the mean stress σ. When σ is very small, the fractures form through the mode I cracking at tensile σ3 equal to the material tensile strength. The fracture walls have smooth surfaces. At higher σ, these surfaces become rougher, with the topography features forming faint or delicate plumose patterns. The amplitude of the plumose topography increases with σ. The axial stress σ3 at fracturing reduces in magnitude and changes in sign with the σ increase. Thus σ3 orthogonal discontinuities can form at compressive σ3. SEM observations show that these discontinuities are deformation localization bands where the material is characterized by the heterogeneous decohesion and volume and porosity increase due to dilatancy. The band thickness is several grain sizes. At formation, the bands are not opened, so they are not mode I fractures. They become fractures with plumose fractography after the separation of the sample parts along the band. The formation mechanism of these discontinuities or fractures is not completely clear, but it is suggested that it represents a running constitutive instability in the form of dilatancy banding (with further σ increase the bands become inclined to σ1, i.e., shear). The similarity between the experimentally generated plumose surface fractures and natural joints is discussed, and it is suggested that they can be formed as propagating constitutive instabilities.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00585846
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00585846
DOI : 10.1029/2010JB008104

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We performed torsional deformation experiments on pre-hydrated fine-grained olivine aggregates using an innovative experimental assembly to investigate water weakening in mantle rocks at high shear strains. San Carlos olivine powder was cold-pressed and then hot-pressed under hydrous conditions, producing aggregates with average grain sizes of 7 or 15 μm. Deformation experiments were performed in a high-resolution gas-medium apparatus equipped with a torsional actuator, under a confining pressure of 300 MPa, a temperature of 1200 °C, and constant shear strain rates ranging from 8 × 10−5 to 1.4 × 10−4 s−1. Maximum shear stresses range from 150 to 195 MPa. These values are 30% lower relative to those determined in previous torsion experiments on dry, fined-grained dunites under similar conditions. Textures and microstructures of the starting and deformed specimens were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. All deformed aggregates exhibit a shape-preferred orientation marking a foliation and lineation, as well as a reduction in mean grain size from 15 μm down to 3-4 μm due to dynamic recrystallization. Olivine crystallographic fabrics developed rapidly (γ < 0.1), but their strength, characterized by the J-index, is low compared to naturally deformed peridotites or to polycrystalline olivine deformed at similar finite shear strains under dry conditions. The crystallographic fabrics are consistent with deformation by a dislocation accommodated creep mechanism with activation of multiple {0 k l}[1 0 0] systems, among which the (0 1 0)[1 0 0] slip system is dominant, and minor participation of the (0 1 0)[0 0 1] slip system. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed the occurrence of dislocations with [1 0 0] and [0 0 1] Burgers vectors in most grains. Analysis of unpolarized infrared spectra indicates that hydrogen concentration in the olivine lattice is below the saturation level of 18 ppm wt H2O, which is similar to those typically observed in spinel-bearing peridotite xenoliths, and also provide evidence for water-rich inter-granular material trapped in pores and grain boundaries. Seismic properties computed from the CPO observations correspond to those most commonly observed in naturally deformed mantle peridotites with fast P-wave propagation and S-wave polarization subparallel to the shear direction. These torsion experiments on fine-grained olivine polycrystals under hydrous conditions indicate that water weakening under lithospheric conditions is linked to various defects with hydrogen in the olivine structure, as well as with water-derived species in grain boundaries or pores.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-00745170
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745170
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2012.05.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Gulf of Cadiz spans the plate boundary between Africa and Eurasia west of the Betic–Rif mountain belt. A narrow east dipping subduction zone descends beneath the Gulf of Cadiz and the straits of Gibraltar. The deep crustal structure of the Gulf and the adjacent SW Iberian and Moroccan margins is constrained by numerous multi-channel seismic reflection and wide-angle seismic surveys. A compilation of these existing studies is presented in the form of depth to basement, sediment thickness, depth to Moho and crustal thickness maps. These structural maps image an E–W trending trough, with thin (< 10 km) crust beneath the Gulf of Cadiz. This trough is filled by an eastward thickening wedge of sediments, reaching a thickness of 10–15 km in the eastern Gulf. These sediments are tectonically deformed, primarily along a series of westward-vergent thrust faults and represent a 200–250 km wide accretionary wedge. The northern and especially the southern limits of the accretionary wedge are marked by sharp morphological lineaments showing evidence of recent deformation. These tectonic limits are situated in an internal position with respect to the Miocene deformation front (external Betic and Rif allocthons), which has been abandoned. At the western boundary of the accretionary wedge, near the adjacent Seine and Horseshoe abyssal plains, an E–W trending basement high (Coral Patch Ridge) can be seen indenting the deformation front in an asymmetric manner. Analog modeling is performed using granular materials accreted against a semicircular backstop (representing the basement of the Rif and Betic mountain belts). The modeling initially produces a symmetric, arcuate accretionary wedge. The ensuing collision of an oblique rigid indenter retards accretion on one side, resulting in an embayment and a locally steeper deformation front. The deformation pattern observed in morphology and high-resolution seismic profiles suggests the accretionary wedge and underlying subduction system is still active. The implications of active subduction for the source region of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and the regional seismic hazard assessment are discussed.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00424922
http://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-00424922
http://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-00424922/document
http://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-00424922/file/Gutscher_09Tphys_rev.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2008.11.031

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

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

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We developed a new granular material (MatIV) to study experimentally landscape evolution in active mountain belt piedmonts. Its composition and related physical properties have been determined using empirical criteria derived from the scaling of deformation, erosion-transport and sedimentation natural processes. MatIV is a water-saturated composite material made up with 4 granular components (silica powder, glass microbeads, plastic powder and graphite) whose physical, mechanical and erosion-related properties were measured with different laboratory tests. Mechanical measurements were made on a modified Hubbert-type direct shear apparatus. Erosion-related properties were determined using an experimental set-up that allows quantifying the erosion/sedimentation budget from tilted relaxation topographies. For MatIV, we also investigated the evolution of mean erosion rates and stream power erosion law exponents in 1D as a function of slope.;Our results indicate that MatIV satisfies most of the defined criteria. It deforms brittlely according to the linear Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and localizes deformation along discrete faults. Its erosion pattern is characterized by realistic hillslope and channelized processes (slope diffusion, mass wasting, channel incision). During transport, eroded particles are sorted depending on their density and shape, which results in stratified alluvial deposits displaying lateral fades variations. To evaluate the degree of similitude between model and nature, we used a new experimental device that combines accretionary wedge deformation mechanisms and surface runoff erosion processes. Results indicate that MatIV succeeded in producing detailed morphological and sedi-mentological features (drainage basin, channel network, terrace, syntectonic alluvial fan). Geometric, kinematic and dynamic similarity criteria have been investigated to compare precisely model to nature. Although scaling is incomplete, it yields particularly informative orders of magnitude. With all these characteristics, MatIV appears as a very promising material to investigate experimentally a wide range of scientific questions dealing with relief dynamics and interactions between tectonics, erosion and sedimentation processes.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00669904
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00669904
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2011.09.029

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Both oedometric and plane-strain tests were performed with parallelepipedic samples made of synthetic granular, cohesive, frictional and dilatant rock analogue material GRAM2. For the first time parallel sets of fractures that have all the characteristics of natural joints were reproduced in the laboratory. The fractures are regularly spaced, normal to σ3, and have plumose morphology very similar to that of natural joints. These fractures can form at tensile stress σ3 much smaller in magnitude than the tensile strength of material and even at slightly compressive σ3. When mean stress σ exceeds a certain value, the fractures become oblique to σ1 (the obliquity increases with σ), forming networks of conjugate shear bands/fractures. These results of plane-strain experiments are in good agreement with those of better controlled conventional axisymmetric tests on a similar material in Chemenda et al. (2011b) and are closer to real geological situations. Both types of experiments are complementary. Their results lead to the conclusion that at least certain categories of natural fractures (including joints, and conjugate shear fractures/bands) were initiated as deformation localization bands. The band orientation is defined by the constitutive properties/parameters (notably the dilatancy factor) that are sensitive to σ.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00795555
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795555
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2011.11.021

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

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

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier Masson
Résumé : Extension fractures of two types defined by the mean stress σ were generated in a synthetic rock analogue material. When σ is very small, the fractures are mode I cracks with smooth surfaces. At higher σ, these surfaces have plumose topography, with the amplitude increasing with σ. Both SEM observations and mechanical measurements show that fractures/discontinuities in the latter case are initiated as dilatancy localization bands. They form under tensile or slightly compressive normal stress and can be seen as running constitutive instabilities. The similarity between the plumose fractography of the experimental fractures and natural joints suggests similarity in the formation mechanism.
ISSN: 1631-0721

hal-00585886
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00585886
DOI : 10.1016/j.crme.2011.01.002

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
The structure and dynamic evolution of a mountain belt piedmont are controlled by strong interactions between tectonics, surface processes (erosion, sedimentation), and climate. Studying these couplings relies on detailed geometric and kinematic analysis of morphostructural markers (folds, faults, terraces, alluvial surfaces) and analysis of syntectonic sedimentation. To study quantitatively how these markers form, evolve and record deformation, we developed a new analogue modelling approach using a specific composite granular material. The originality stands in the simultaneous modelling of orogenic deformation mechanisms and erosion-transport-sedimentation processes, but also in the use of techniques allowing quantitative measurement of morphostructural evolution. This methodology opens new perspectives in the fields of geomorphology (relief dynamics), seismotectonics (study of active faults), and sedimentology (including sequential stratigraphy).
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-00411972
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411972
DOI : 10.1016/j.crte.2008.01.005

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
The processes active in the deep crust above an oceanic subduction zone during its evolution have been constrained through a detailed geochemical study (major and trace elements and Sr, Nd and Pb isotopes) of representative samples through an 30 km thick exhumed crustal section of the Cretaceous Kohistan oceanic island arc (Northern Pakistan). The use of both trace elements and radiogenic isotopes reveals two distinct geochemical suites (suites A and B) within the JijalPatanKiruKamila (JPKK) complex. Suite A is characterized by a progressive enrichment in Pb-207 and a decrease in Nd-143/Nd-144 with increasing La-N/Sm-N. Suite B has higher Pb-207/Pb-204 and lower Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios with approximately constant La-N/Sm-N. By combining trace elements with different partitioning behaviour it is demonstrated that there is an increasing contribution of the subduction component in the magmas with time. It is also possible to distinguish a slab component imprint carried by aqueous fluids from one corresponding to sediment melts. Intrusive granites are abundant in the upper levels of the JPKK section. All were generated at the arc root level (Jijal crustal section) during dehydration-melting of hornblende-rich plutonic rocks. A three-stage geodynamic model is proposed for the evolution of the arc over a period of 30 Myr. The first stage (117105 Ma) starts with the onset of subduction, which was followed by the building of the volcanic arc. The second stage (10599 Ma to 9691 Ma) corresponds to a major igneous event, which was characterized by abundant magma underplating and granulite-facies metamorphism at the arc base. Recycling of the residualcumulative lower crust into the convective asthenospheric mantle was efficient during this stage, and was probably related to thermo-mechanical erosion of the base of the crust. The last stage (9585 Ma) corresponds to a period of low magmatic activity, which marked the end of the intra-oceanic subduction. This is related to the formation of a cold blanket above the slab surface as a result of thermo-mechanical erosion of the cold walls of the subduction zone (i.e. the upper part of the slab and the base of the overriding plate), and corner flow dragging the cold material into the zone of melt generation. Ultimately, a voluminous magmatic pulse occurred around 85 Ma (forming the Chilas complex), before arccontinent collision.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00420068
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420068
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egp010

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Geochronological studies of samples from continuous crustal sections of fossil intra-oceanic arcs are paramount for determining the precise timing of major processes that took place during the building of an oceanic island-arc crust. In this study, laser ablation ICP-MS U-Pb zircon (and conventional Rb-Sr) analyses pinpoint the timing of major events responsible for crustal growth of the Kohistan paleo-island arc (Northern Pakistan). Inheritance in magmatic rocks is evidence for recycling of intra-arc material and indicates that the Kohistan arc may have formed as early as 135 +/- 4 Ma. One older inherited grain indicates that the arc developed on a young oceanic lithosphere whose remnants include a c. 175 Ma old component. An interesting consequence is that intra-oceanic arc magmas can yield inherited zircons, which can be much older than the arc system itself without requiring recycling back into the mantle by subduction processes. In the case of the Kohistan arc, ante-arc Neotethys oceanic lithosphere was tapped by arc magmas during their way upward into the arc crust. The oldest magmatic ages measured in this study fall in the range 101-102 Ma (100.9 +/- 0.6 and 102.1 +/- 0.4 Ma). This period corresponds to arc build-up and thickening of the arc crust. Leucogranitic melts dated at 89.9 +/- 0.4 Ma and 90.9 +/- 1.0 Ma are considered as produced by dehydration/melting reaction accompanying granulitisation of the thickened lower arc crust. A maximum age for this event is 97.7 +/- 0.7 Ma, the age of emplacement of a garnet meta-tonalite affected by granulite facies metamorphism. Magmatic activity was still ongoing during and after the granulitisation as testified by emplacement of a diorite and a gabbro dated at 89.1 +/- 0.6 and 88.2 +/- 0.9 Ma respectively. The upper part of the metaplutonic sequence contains diorite samples dated at 84.6 +/- 0.5 Ma and 84.3 +/- 0.5 Ma and as young as 81.1 +/- 0.7 Ma. During this period, and based on the present day outcropping sequences, the mean crustal growth rate varied from 32 to 65 km(3)/km/Ma (volume per unit width along the strike of the arc) which is comparable to the range for present day arcs of the Western Pacific region. The correspondence of crustal growth rates observed for present-day island arcs and the good preservation of the crustal section in the Kohistan arc, make this area an exceptional natural laboratory to study arc related processes and to check models of continental crust formation by arc accretion.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00644555
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644555
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2011.07.016

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The analysis of three cataclastic band sets from Provence (France) reveals that the band density, their conjugate angles, their ratio of shear displacement to compaction, and the amount of cataclasis within the bands differ and can be expressed as functions of tectonic setting and petrophysical properties. We identify (1) a dense and closely spaced network of shear-enhanced (reverse) compaction bands; (2) a regularly spaced less dense network of reverse compactional shear bands; and (3) a localized network of normal shear bands. The field data show that strain localization is favored in an extensional regime and is characterized by shear bands with a large shear to compaction ratio and a small conjugate band angle. In contrast, distributed strain is favored in a contractional regime and is characterized by compactional bands with a low ratio of shear to compaction and a large conjugate band angle. To explain the mechanical origin of this strain localization, we quantify the yield strength and the stress evolution in extensional and contractional regimes in a frictional porous granular material. We propose a model of strain localization in porous sands as a function of tectonic stresses, burial depth, material properties, strain hardening and fluid pressure. Our model suggests that stress reduction, inherent to extensional regime, favors strain localization as shear bands, whereas stress increase during contraction favors development of compactional bands.
ISSN: 0191-8141

hal-00856921
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00856921
DOI : 10.1016/j.jsg.2012.11.011