Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
The Ganos fault is the westernmost segment of the North Anatolian Fault that experienced the Mw = 7.4 earthquake of 9 August 1912. The earthquake revealed 45-km-long of surface ruptures inland, trending N70 E, and 5.5 m of maximum right lateral offset near Güzelköy. The long-term deformation of the fault is clearly expressed by several pull-apart basins and sag ponds, pressure and shutter ridges and offset streams. In parallel with detailed geomorphologic investigations, we measured co-seismic and cumulative displacements along the fault, and selected the Güzelköy site for paleoseismology. A microtopographic survey at the site yields 10.5 0.5 m and 35.4 1.5 m cumulative lateral offsets of stream channels and geomorphologic features. Seven paleoseismic parallel and cross-fault trenches document successive faulting events and provide the timing of past earthquakes on the Ganos fault segment. Radiocarbon dating of successive colluvial wedges in trench T1, and the fresh scarplet above (probably 1912 surface rupture) indicate the occurrence of three faulting events since the 14th century. Parallel trenches (3, 5, 6 and 7) expose paleo-channels and show a cumulative right-lateral offset of 16.5 1.5 m next to the fault, and 21.3 1.5 m total channel deflection. Radiocarbon dating of past channel units and fault scarp-related colluvial deposits imply an average 17 +/ 5 mm/year slip rate and 323 142 years recurrence interval of large earthquakes during the last 1000 years on the Ganos fault. The succession of past faulting events and inferred slip rate west of the Marmara Sea provide more constraint on the long-term faulting behavior in the seismic gap of the North Anatolian Fault and may contribute to a better seismic hazard assessment in the Istanbul region.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00748218
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00748218
DOI : 10.1029/2011GC003960

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer
Résumé : International audience
We present here a synthesis of the evolution of rifted continental margin systems in the Gulf of Aden. These margins are volcanic to the west of the Gulf of Aden, where they are influenced by the Afar hotspot, and non-volcanic east of longitude 46° E. The combined use of magnetics, gravity, seismic reflection, field observations (tectonic, stratigraphic and sedimentological) and oil well data allowed us to obtain better constraints on the timing of continental rifting and seafloor spreading. From the Permo-Triassic to the Oligocene, the Arabian-African plate was subject to distributed extension, probably due, at least from the Cretaceous, to tensile stresses related to the subduction of the Tethysian slab in the north. In Late Eocene-Early Oligocene, 34-33 Ma ago, rifting started to localise along the future area of continental breakup. Initially guided by the inherited basins, continental rifting then occurred synchronously over the entire gulf before becoming localised on the northern and southern borders of the inherited grabens, in the direction of the Afar hotspot. In the areas with non-volcanic margins (in the east), the faults marking the end of rifting trend parallel to the inherited grabens. Only the transfer faults cross-cut the inherited grabens, and some of these faults later developed into transform faults. The most important of these transform faults follow a Precambrian trend. Volcanic margins were formed in the west of the Gulf, up to the Guban graben in the southeast and as far as the southern boundary of the Bahlaf graben in the northeast. Seaward dipping reflectors can be observed on many oil industry seismic profiles. The influence of the hotspot during rifting was concentrated on the western part of the gulf. Therefore, it seems that the western domain was uplifted and eroded at the onset of rifting, while the eastern domain was characterised by more continuous sedimentation. The phase of distributed deformation was followed by a phase of strain localisation during the final rifting stage, just before formation of the Ocean-Continent Transition (OCT), in the most distal graben (DIM graben). About 20 Ma ago, at the time of the continental break-up, the emplacement of the OCT started in the east with exhumation of the subcontinental mantle. Farther west, the system was heated up by the strong influence of the Afar hotspot, which led to breakup with much less extension. In the Gulf of Aden (s.str), up to the Shukra El Sheik fracture zone, oceanic spreading started 17.6 Ma ago. West of this fracture zone, oceanic accretion started 10 Ma ago, and 2 Ma ago in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Post-rift deformation of the eastern margins of the Gulf of Aden can be seen in the distal and proximal domains. Indeed, the substantial post-rift uplift of these margins could be associated with either the continental break-up, or activity of the Afar hotspot and related volcanic/magmatic activity. Uplift of the northern proximal margin was still active (e.g. stepped beach rocks exposed at 60 m of 2 Ma; 30 m of 35,200 years; 10 and 2 m) and active volcanoes can be inferred at depths of between 70 and 200 km beneath the margin (at 5-10 km distance from the coast). On the distal margin, heat flow measurements show a high value that is associated with post-rift volcanic activity and the development of a volcano (with flows and sills) shortly after the formation of the OCT. The Afar hotspot is therefore important for several reasons. It allows the localisation of deformation along the Red Sea/Aden system and the rapid opening of the Gulf after the continental break-up; its influence also seems to persist during the post-rift period.
ISSN: 1866-7411

hal-01053089
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053089
DOI : 10.1007/s12517-011-0475-4

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Geological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
Lakes are major depositional systems for which the related depositional processes have long been considered relatively simple. Breaking this statement, this study presents a detailed analysis of deposits in Lake Saint-Jean, the third largest natural lake in Québec. In addition to postglacial deltaic and coastal depositional systems fringing the lake, current-controlled features such as a large subaqueous prograding wedge and three sediment drifts have been identifi ed in its central portion based on two-dimensional (2-D) acoustic high-resolution subbottom profiles. The large subaqueous prograding wedge is a 4-km-long and up to 15-m-thick heterolithic shelf-like construction in the southeastern part of the lake. The three sediment drifts are 0.1–0.5-km-long and 2–5-mthick mud mounds distributed on the lake floor in the central portion of the lake. Diatom analyses and radiocarbon dating show that the development of these current-controlled features occurred during the lacustrine phase, after the disconnection with the postglacial marine Laflamme Gulf at 8.5 cal. k.y. B.P. Depositional facies show evidence of recurrent bottom-current activity. Related deposits alternate with pelagic sedimentation stages characterized by the settling of mud and biogenic accumulations. We investigated the origin of bottom currents using a numerical simulation (SYMPHONIE, an oceanographic model), with the aim of modeling wind-induced lake-scale water circulation. Simulations suggest that the subaqueous prograding wedge and the three sediment drifts result from wind-induced bottom currents generated by storm events having wind speed greater than 10 m s–1. Such strong winds are able to significantly affect sedimentation in the central portion of Lake Saint-Jean. Theresulting wind-induced sedimentary features were integrated into a refi ned lacustrine depositional model that summarizes the evolution of a group of water bodies referred to as “wind-driven water bodies.” This study applies a new tool for lake strata characterization and highlights the potential diffi cultyin differentiating them from marine deposits in the geological record.
ISSN: 0016-7606

insu-01184724
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01184724
DOI : 10.1130/B31145.1

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Observations from deep boreholes at several locations worldwide, laboratory measurements of frictional strength on quartzo-feldspathic materials, and earthquake focal mechanisms indicate that crustal faults are strong (apparent friction μ ≥ 0.6). However, friction experiments on phyllosilicate-rich rocks and some geophysical data have demonstrated that some major faults are considerably weaker. This weakness is commonly considered to be characteristic of mature faults in which rocks are altered by prolonged deformation and fluid-rock interaction (i.e., San Andreas, Zuccale, and Nankai Faults). In contrast, in this study we document fault weakening occurring along a marly shear zone in its infancy (<30 m displacement). Geochemical mass balance calculation and microstructural data show that a massive calcite departure (up to 50 vol %) from the fault rocks facilitated the concentration and reorganization of weak phyllosilicate minerals along the shear surfaces. Friction experiments carried out on intact foliated samples of host marls and fault rocks demonstrated that this structural reorganization lead to a significant fault weakening and that the incipient structure has strength and slip behavior comparable to that of the major weak faults previously documented. These results indicate that some faults, especially those nucleating in lithologies rich of both clays and high-solubility minerals (such as calcite), might experience rapid mineralogical and structural alteration and become weak even in the early stages of their activity.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-01211481
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01211481
DOI : 10.1002/2014TC003716

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Advances in groundwater storage monitoring are crucial for water resource management and hydrological processes understanding. The evaluation of water storage changes (WSC) often involve point measurements (observation wells, moisture probes, etc.), which may be inappropriate in heterogeneous media. Over the past few years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of gravimetry for hydrological studies. In the framework of the GHYRAF (Gravity and Hydrology inAfrica) project, 3 yr of repeated absolute gravity measurements using a FG5-type gravimeter have been undertaken at Nalohou, a Sudanian site in northern Benin. Hydrological data are collected within the long-term observing system AMMA-Catch. Once corrected for solid earth tides, ocean loading, air pressure effects, polar motion contribution and non-local hydrology, seasonal gravity variations reach up to 11 μGal, equivalent to a WSC of 260-mm thick infinite layer of water. Absolute temporal gravity data are compared to WSC deduced from neutron probe and water-table variations through a direct modelling approach. First, we use neutronic measurements available for the whole vertical profile where WSC occur (the vadose zone and a shallow unconfined aquifer). The RMSD between observed and modelled gravity variations is 1.61 μGal, which falls within the error bars of the absolute gravity data. Second, to acknowledge for the spatial variability of aquifer properties, we use a 2-D model for specific yield (Sy) derived from resistivity mapping and Magnetic Resonance Soundings (MRS). The latter provides a water content (θMRS) known to be higher than the specific yield. Hence, we scaled the 2-D model of θMRS with a single factor (α). WSC are calculated from water-table monitoring in the aquifer layer and neutronic measurements in the vadose layer. The value of α is obtained with aMonte-Carlo sampling approach, minimizing the RMSD between modelled and observed gravity variations. This leads to α = Sy/θMRS = 0.63 ± 0.15, close to what is found in the literature on the basis of pumping tests experiments, with a RMSD value of 0.94 μGal. This hydrogeophysical experiment is a first step towards the use of time-lapse gravity data as an integrative tool to monitor interannual WSC even in complicated subsurface distribution.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00821181
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00821181
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggt146

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We explore the use of seismic noise produced by rivers to monitor the bed load transport in the case of a low-discharge braided river in the French Alps: the "torrent de St Pierre". For this purpose, we deployed two dedicated seismic networks during summers 2007 and 2008, for which the characteristics of the recorded continuous signal are similar despite changes in the sensor locations. For dry weather conditions, only melting of nearby glaciers controls the supply of water to the stream. In these conditions, the river hydrology and the seismic energy in the 2-80 Hz frequency band both follow a diurnal fluctuation similar to the thermal amplitude. In contrast during rainfall episodes, the temperature variation fails to explain the hydrodynamic changes. Dense cloud covers reduce glacier melting and the recorded seismic energy denotes bursts of high-frequency seismic noise well correlated with water level data. Comparisons between the recorded seismic signals and the collected hydrological and sediment load data indicate that a frequency band of 3-9 Hz best explains the water level changes and thus the seismic waves coming from the flow turbulence. These analyses also reveal the presence of a seismic noise threshold that might be linked to the water shear stress exerted by the flowing water. Using the seismic energy in this frequency band as a proxy of the fluvial shear stress, the seismic-hydrologic relationship may be sensitive to variations in bed load transport. The spectral content of the seismic energy shows patterns consistent with the mobilization of sediment particles. From the interpretations of the seismic wave attenuation of river sources, we finally propose that stations at a distance from the stream less than 50 m are able to record most sediment particles. Farther stations are still useful during extreme events when largest grain sizes are mobilized. More generally this study demonstrates the feasibility of using the river seismic signal to survey bed load transport in various river types from small braided mountain rivers like the "torrent de St Pierre" to the large entrenched Himalayan rivers.
ISSN: 0022-1694

hal-00644789
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644789
DOI : 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.07.014

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Our knowledge and understanding of the 3-D lithospheric structure of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau is still challenging although numerous geophysical studies have been performed in the region. The GOCE satellite mission has the ambitious goal of mapping Earth's gravity field with unprecedented precision (i.e. an accuracy of 1-2 mGal for a spatial resolution of 100 km) to observe the lithosphere and upper-mantle structure. Consequently, it gives new insights in the lithospheric structure beneath the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. Indeed, the GOCE gravity data now allow us to develop a new strategy for joint gravimetry-seismology inversion. Combined with teleseismic data over a large region in a joint inversion scheme, they will lead to lithospheric velocity-density models constrained in two complementary ways. We apply this joint inversion scheme to the Hi-CLIMB (Himalayan-Tibetan Continental Lithosphere during Mountain Building) seismological network which was deployed in South Tibet and the Himalayas for a 3-yr period. The large size of the network, the high quality of the seismological data and the new GOCE gravity data set allow us to image the entire lithosphere of this active area in an innovative way. We image 3-D low velocity and density structures in the middle crust that fit the location of discontinuous low S-velocity zones revealed by receiver functions in previous geophysical studies. In the deeper parts of our velocity model we image a positive anomaly interpreted to be the heterogenous Indian lithosphere vertically descending beneath the centre of the Tibetan Plateau.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00858024
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00858024
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs110

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Collisional mountain belts grow as a consequence of continental plate convergence and eventuallydisappear under the combined effects of gravitational collapse and erosion. Using a decade ofGPS data, we show that the western Alps are currently characterized by zero horizontal velocityboundary conditions, offering the opportunity to investigate orogen evolution at the time ofcessation of plate convergence. We find no significant horizontal motion within the belt, but GPS andlevelling measurements independently show a regional pattern of uplift reaching ~2.5 mm/yr in thenorthwestern Alps. Unless a low viscosity crustal root under the northwestern Alps locally enhancesthe vertical response to surface unloading, the summed effects of isostatic responses to erosion andglaciation explain at most 60% of the observed uplift rates. Rock-uplift rates corrected from transientglacial isostatic adjustment contributions likely exceed erosion rates in the northwestern Alps. In theabsence of active convergence, the observed surface uplift must result from deep-seated processes.
ISSN: 2045-2322

hal-01357450
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357450
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357450/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01357450/file/noquet2016.pdf
DOI : 10.1038/srep28404

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The 12 May 2008 the Sichuan earthquake was one of the worst natural disasters in China. Here, we present a detailed picture of the epicentral area inferred geophysical data. Based on the analysis of teleseismic data acquired by a dense seismic network, we highlight an abrupt 20 km Moho offset between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan plateau and a horizontal discontinuity at similar to 15 km depth, which may connect with the ruptured zone of the 2008 event. We obtain low mean crustal velocity ratios, which suggest the absence of a thick and extensive zone of partial melt within the crust beneath the eastern part of the Songpan-Garze Terrane. All our data support the idea that the Longmen Shan range mark a zone of active strain localization due to the rigid Yangtze craton resisting eastward displacement of the Tibetan Plateau.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00534471
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00534471
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2009.11.010

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société géologique de France
Résumé : International audience
Age constraints on the protoliths, deformation, metamorphism and melting events are key parameters when correlating different continental lithospheric remnants among each other and disentangling their evolution within large-scale orogens. In situ U-Th-Pb chemical dating on monazites using Electron Probe Micro-Analyser (EPMA) has been performed on eight samples throughout the Variscan Maures-Tanneron massif (SE France) in order to date the medium to high-tectonothermal events related to the Variscan orogeny.Results indicate a polyphased crustal evolution : (i) U-Th-Pb ages obtained in polygenetic monazite grain cores gave inherited Upper Ordovician (456 ± 11 Ma) age, highlighting the large scale occurrence of the Ordovician magmatic activity in the North Gondwanian margin. An Early Devonian (404 ± 10 Ma) age may date a protolith emplacement related to calc-alkaline supra-subduction magmatism or could be associated to an early medium-grade metamorphism, prior to collisional stage. (ii) The crustal thickening stage has been further recorded in prograde metamorphic monazites formed during the underthrusting and subsequent nappe stacking events, under amphibolite facies conditions. This stage is dated between 382 ± 11 (Middle Devonian) and 331 ± 5 Ma (Late Visean). (iii) An orogenic partial melting event took place during Middle Carboniferous and is accompanied by the crystallization of crustal peraluminous magmas (Plan-de-la-Tour granite, 329 ± 3 Ma).This contribution demonstrates the capacity of monazite to record the prograde path of rocks during increasing metamorphic conditions related to stages of crustal thickening, and the robustness of the U-Th-Pb chronometer in monazite despite the overprinting of high-grade thermal events, including partial melting. The age ranges of the different orogenic stages reported in this study are in good agreement with those reported in adjacent Variscan Corsica and Sardinia; while correlations with other nearest Variscan massifs like the Argentera massif in the southwestern Alps or the French Massif Central remain more hypothetic. The Internal Zone of the Maures-Tanneron massif, and more widely the Internal Zone of the Maures-Tanneron-Corsica-Sardinia segment, is part of the southern orogenic root system of the Variscan belt.
EISSN: 1777-5817

insu-01140973
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01140973
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.186.2-3.145

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
We analyse temporal variations of gravity measured in southern Taiwan since November 2006 at 10 sites using absolute gravimeters and, since November 2008, at 70 sites using a relative gravimeter. We describe and apply methods to interpret the gravity changes in terms of local hydrological processes and vertical ground motions. The effect of land water is computed from local rainfall data and a model of rain accumulation and discharge in the ground. The effect of the vertical motions of the ground is estimated using time-series of permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) stations and the theoretical gravity to height ratio of −2 μGal cm−1. Unexpectedly, Morakot typhoon (2009 August), the strongest typhoon in Taiwan in 50 yr, was responsible for the highest gravity changes. Morakot triggered numerous large landslides and debris flow deposits. Their thicknesses are estimated from the gravity changes (up to ∼280 μGal) along with field observations and satellite images.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00768216
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00768216
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggs019

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Holocene Lake Mega-Chad (LMC) was the largest late Quaternary water-body in Africa. The development of this giant paleo-lake is related to a northward shift of the isohyetes interpreted as evidence for an enhanced Monsoon (African Humid Period). Numerous preserved coastal features have been described all around the LMC shore. Such features reveal the main paleo-hydrodynamical tendencies. In the context of a closed water-body like LMC, hydrodynamics are forced mainly by winds. We use a three-dimensional numerical model (SYMPHONIE) to simulate the mean hydrodynamics in LMC under both Harmattan-like (northeasterly trade winds) and Monsoon-like (southwesterly winds) forcings. The northern part of LMC displays coastal features, such as sand spits, that are consistent with the simulations forced by Harmattan-like winds. Geomorphic features related to Monsoon-driven hydrodynamics are not clearly expressed. They could have developed during the early stage of LMC but subsequently reworked. At the time of sand-spit building, Harmattan-like driven hydrodynamics prevailed and related coastal features were preferentially preserved in the sedimentary record.
ISSN: 0033-5894

hal-00475633
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00475633
DOI : 10.1016/j.yqres.2009.10.010

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
To estimate the seismic hazard, the geometry (dip, length and orientation) and the dynamics (type of displacements and amplitude) of the faults in the area of interest need to be understood. In this paper, in addition to geomorphologic observations, we present the results of two ground penetrating radar (GPR) campaigns conducted in 2010 and 2011 along the Emeelt fault in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, located in an intracontinental region with low deformation rate that induces long recurrence time between large earthquakes. As the geomorphology induced by the fault activity has been highly smoothed by erosion processes since the last event, the fault location and geometry is difficult to determine precisely. However, by using GPR first, a non-destructive and fast investigation, the fault and the sedimentary deposits near the surface can be characterized and the results can be used for the choice of trench location. GPR was performed with a 50 MHz antenna over 2-D lines and with a 500 MHz antenna for pseudo-3-D surveys. The 500 MHz GPR profiles show a good consistency with the trench observations, dug next to the pseudo-3-D surveys. The 3-D 500 MHz GPR imaging of a palaeochannel crossed by the fault allowed us to estimate its lateral displacement to be about 2 m. This is consistent with a right lateral strike-slip displacement induced by an earthquake around magnitude 7 or several around magnitude 6. The 2-D 50 MHz profiles, recorded perpendicular to the fault, show a strong reflection dipping to the NE, which corresponds to the fault plane. Those profiles provided complementary information on the fault such as its location at shallow depth, its dip angle (from 23 • to 35 •) and define its lateral extension. Central Asia is known for its high level of seismic hazards, especially Mongolia, which has been one of the most seismically active intracontinental regions in the world with four large earthquakes (magnitude around 8) along its active faults in the western part of the country during the last century (Khilko et al. 1985). The deformation in Mongolia is located between compressive structures related to the collision and penetration of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate and extensive structures in the north of the country related with the Baykal rift (Tapponnier & Molnar 1979; Baljinnyam et al. 1993; Schlupp 1996; Bayasgalan & Jackson 1999). The seismic activity observed in the vicinity of Ulaanbaatar (UB), capital of Mongolia, is relatively low compared to the activity observed in western Mongolia. Nevertheless, since 2005, the seismic activity around UB not only has increased, but is also organized (see Fig. 1) at the west of UB along two perpendicular directions, which determine two active faults: Emeelt fault, discovered in 2008 (NNW-SSE direction, 25-km-long minimum and situated about 10 km W of UB) and Hustai fault (WSW–ENE direction, 80 km long, with its NE tip at less than 20 km west of UB); their length and morphology indicate that they can produce earthquakes of magnitude 6.5–7.5 (Schlupp et al. 2012). Most of the Mongolian population (1.2 million over 3 million) is concentrated at UB, which is the main political and economical centre of the country. Hence, the study of seismic hazard and the estimation of the probability of future destructive earthquakes are of primary importance for the country (Dugarmaa et al. 2006). Since the last large earthquake, the faults geomorphology has been highly smoothed by erosional processes and the exact location of the fault plane surface rupture is thus hidden within a several metre wide strip. The GPR method has been proven to give good and useful results to characterize faults by identifying offsets of radar reflections (Malik et al. 2007; Christie et al. 2009; Yalçiner et al. 2013) and
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-01342629
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01342629
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01342629/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01342629/file/Dujardin_Bano_etal_Geoph.%20J.%20Int._2014_final.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggu130

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Fromthe Proterozoic to the Quaternary, the evolution of the Earthwas characterised by recurrent periods of glaciation.However, the margins of many ancient ice-sheets are poorly defined on palaeogeographic reconstructions.The extent and outlines of ancient ice sheets can be better understood through careful documentation ofsediments deposited at the ice-sheet margin. An outstanding example is provided herein based on an end-Ordovician archive in Libya (Tihemboka area, Murzuq Basin). The four sets of structures include: i) subglacialglaciotectonic structures and soft sediment deformations from flowing glacier ice, such as intraformational glacialstriae, intraformational deformation (shear planes, sheath folds), normal microfaults, and large-scaleglaciotectonic folds-and-thrusts; (ii) structures resulting from overpressured subglacial (meltwater) flowssuch as clastic dykes and tunnel valleys; (iii) proglacial depositional structures and facies related to highmagnitudemeltwater floods such as sandstone intraclasts, large-scale bedforms resulting from supercriticalflows, climbing-dune cross-stratification and kettle holes; and (iv) deformation structures resulting from freefloating and nonglacier ice such as ice-keel scours and ice-crystal marks. Such a set of structures points to anice-marginal (essentially continental) depositional setting, and provides an excellent suite of criteria to identifymargins of ancient ice sheets in the stratigraphic record. At a regional scale, a reconstruction through time andspace of the related depositional wedge is proposed. This corresponded to a seismic-scale (N120 m in thickness,40 km in length) ice-marginal wedge in front of an essentially warm-based ice-sheet inducing concomitantlarge-scale glaciotectonic deformation, glacial basin and tunnel valley downcuttings. The related ice-front wasassociated with high-energy meltwater flows feeding a network of deeply incised proglacial channels downstreamand, beyond them, a fluvioglacial deltaic system. Shallow ice-marginal permafrost most likely affectedthe depositional wedge. At a larger scale, the Tihemboka ice-marginal wedge is interpreted as related to a stillstandperiod over the Gondwana platform, developed over an estimated interval of a few thousands of years.Based on these data, the conditions that arose in a particularly favourable context for the development, the preservationand the identification of ice-marginal wedges in the geological record are reviewed. Significantmeltwater-derived sediment deposition and aggradation in an accommodation space resulting either frompreglacial inheritance, glacial downcuttings and/or glacio-isostatic lithospheric flexure, or active tectonic subsidence(>1 Myr) are required for their formation and subsequent preservation.
ISSN: 0012-8252

insu-01184739
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01184739
DOI : 10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.06.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Seismological Society of America
Résumé : International audience
Abstract The continuous record of large surface-rupturing earthquakes along the Dead Sea fault brings unprecedented insights for paleoseismic and archaeoseismic research. In most recent studies, paleoseismic trenching documents the late Holocene faulting activity, while tectonic geomorphology addresses the long-term behavior (>10 ka), with a tendency to smooth the effect of individual earthquake rupture events (Mw >7). Here, we combine historical, archaeological, and paleoseismic investigations to build a consolidated catalog of destructive surface-rupturing earthquakes for the last 14 ka along the left-lateral Jordan Valley fault segment. The 120- km-long fault segment limited to the north and the south by major pull-apart basins (the Hula and the Dead Sea, respectively) is mapped in detail and shows five subsegments with narrow stepovers (width < 3 km). We conducted quantitative geomorphology along the fault, measured more than 20 offset drainages, excavated four trenches at two sites, and investigated archaeological sites with seismic damage in the Jordan Valley. Our results in paleoseismic trenching with 28 radiocarbon datings and the archaeoseismology at Tell Saydiyeh, supplemented with a rich historical seismic record, document 12 surface-rupturing events along the fault segment with a mean interval of ∼1160 yr and an average 5 mm=yr slip rate for the last 25 ka. The most complete part of the catalog indicates recurrence intervals that vary from 280 yr to 1500 yr, with a median value of 790 yr, and suggests an episodic behavior for the Jordan Valley fault. Our study allows a better constraint of the seismic cycle and related short-term variations (late Holocene) versus long-term behavior (Holocene and late Pleistocene) of a major continental transform fault.
ISSN: 0037-1106

hal-00747401
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00747401
DOI : 10.1785/0120100097

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD E Schweizerbart Science Publishers
Résumé : International audience
Mass balance calculations have been performed through a comparison of published graphical and statistical approaches applied to two contrasted geological settings: (i) the development of a greenschist-facies ductile shear-zone that recorded a weak volume change but significant mass transfers, and (ii) the formation of exoskarns in metacarbonate xenoliths that recorded a large volume decrease related to huge mass transfers. The comparison of the four mass-balance approaches shows that, if uncertainties are ignored, (1) they yield similar results concerning the mobile vs immobile behaviour of many components; (2) they yield similar mass-change values on bulk rock and on individual chemical elements (bulk-rock mass-change values differ by a maximum of ca. 15 % between graphical and statistical treatments of the metacarbonate xenolith evolution). The main difference concerns the uncertainties on mass changes (for bulk rocks and individual elements), which are much larger with the graphical than with the statistical approaches when uncertainties on chemical elements are taken into account, as they should be.The main advantage of the graphical methods is their rapid implementation and the clarity of the diagrams. Their main disadvantages are that uncertainties on each chemical element and bulk compositions are not taken into account and the difficulty in choosing an accurate immobility field to precisely define errors. Graphical methods need to be completed by a statistical treatment that gives absolute mass transfer results. The statistical approaches have the advantage of taking into account the chemical heterogeneities of the compared populations, in conjunction to a precise data treatment. The statistical treatment is an important and necessary step to decipher and to be pertinent in interpreting mobility/immobility of chemical elements, and, thus, in the absolute quantification of mass and volume changes.
ISSN: 0935-1221

hal-01260258
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01260258
DOI : 10.1127/ejm/2015/0027-2475

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Blackwell Publishing
Résumé : International audience
Differentiating between forced regressive deposits from deglacial periods inhigh latitude domains and forced regressive deposits from the onset of glacialperiods in low latitude domains is fundamental for the accurate interpretationof glacial cycles within the geological record and then for thereconstruction of palaeogeography and palaeo-climate. A forced regressivedeglacial sequence is documented from the Lake Saint-Jean basin (Quebec,Canada). In this area, the Late Pleistocene to Holocene sediments haverecorded the Laurentide ice sheet retreat accompanied by the invasion ofmarine waters (Laflamme Gulf) from ca 129 cal kyr BP. Subsequently, fluviodeltaicand coastal prograding wedges were deposited; they followed thebase-level fall due to glacio-isostatic rebound. This succession, representinga transition from glacial to post-glacial periods within a previously glaciatedarea, was investigated through recent mapping, preserved landforms, faciesanalysis, and new optical stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dates.Three basin-scale geological sections share a common lower part made ofisolated ice-contact fan deposits overlying bedrock. Throughout the entirebasin, ice-contact fans are capped by glacimarine muds. Above, fluvial andcoastal prograding systems were deposited and evolved through four steps:(i) deltaic systems progressively increased in width; (ii) coastal influence onsedimentation increased; (iii) hydrographic drainage systems became moreorganised; and (iv) deltas graded from steep (Gilbert delta) to low-angle foresets(mouth-bar delta). Deposited during the base-level fall from glacioisostaticrebound, the complete succession has been designated as a singlefalling stage system tract referred to as a deglacial falling stage system tract.It is representative of a deglaciation sequence in areas previously covered byice during glacial periods (i.e. medium to high latitude domains). Diagnosticcriteria are provided to identify such a deglacial falling stage system tract inthe geological record, which may aid identification of previously unknownglacial cycles.
ISSN: 1469-3496

insu-01184731
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01184731
DOI : 10.1111/sed.12196

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Météo et Climat
Résumé : International audience
Le premier volet du projet Cyprim vise à mieux identifier les précurseurs des cyclogenèses et des précipitations intenses en région méditerranéenne. Cet article en présente les principaux résultats. Il est question des ingrédients météorologiques à l'origine de ces systèmes, de la grande à la mésoéchelle, des causes des fortes intensités, localisations et parfois stationnarité des récipitations associées. Le coeur de l'article présente des méthodes d'identification des anomalies de tourbillon potentiel liées à l'occurrence d'événements précipitants intenses et dresse une climatologie de ces anomalies. Les perspectives d'exploitation de cette information pour améliorer la qualité des prévisions sont évoquées. ENGLISH VERSION: The first part of the CYPRIM project (Cyclogenesis and intense precipitations in the Mediterranean region) aims at a better identification of the precursor structures of cyclogenesis and heavy precipitation in the Mediterranean region. This article presents the main results. It mentions the meteorological ingredients from which these systems originate from the large to themesoscale, the reasons for large intensities, the localization and sometimes stationarity of the associated precipitations. The heart of the article shows methods for identifiying potential vorticity anomalies involved in the occurrence of heavy precipitation events and sets up a climatology of these anomalies.The perspectives of the usefulness of this information for improving forecast quality are discussed.
ISSN: 0026-1181

insu-00448250
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00448250
DOI : 10.4267/2042/28828

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The Chenaillet Ophiolite in the Franco-Italian Alps represents a well-exposed ocean-floor sequence that was only weakly overprinted by Alpine metamorphism during its emplacement in the Alpine nappe stack. Pillow lavas showing a Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (MORB) signature overlie tectonically exhumed gabbros and serpentinized mantle rocks similar to oceanic core complexes (OCC) described from present-day slow- to ultraslow-spreading ridges. Based on detailed mapping it can be shown that: 1) syn-magmatic high-temperature shear zones are truncated by oceanic detachment faults; 2) sediments consisting exclusively of clasts derived from the footwall of the detachment are overlain by voluminous lavas, and 3) emplacement of lavas is linked with high-angle faulting that overprint the oceanic detachment fault. Based on stratigraphic and cross cutting relationships we conclude that: 1) a complex relation between high- and low-temperature shear zones exists, 2) oceanic detachment faults may be obliterated by later emplaced of MOR basalts, and 3) high-angle faults may serve at shallow levels as feeder channels for the overlying pillow basalts. These observations raise questions about the relative relations in time and space between magmatic, hydrothermal and tectonic processes at spreading systems. We propose that the observed change from exhumation along an oceanic detachment fault to high-angle faulting associated with extrusion of volcanic rocks may represent an evolution within a life cycle of a spreading system that may be comparable to present-day slow- to ultraslow-spreading ridges.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00617678
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617678
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2010.10.017

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We investigate the timing of end of motion along the South Tibet Detachment System (STDS), a major normal fault system that runs parallel to the Himalayan range for more than 1500 km. Near Dinggye (similar to 28 degrees 10'N, 87 degrees 40'E), the STD dips similar to 10 +/- 5 degrees to the North and separates Paleozoic Tethyan series from Upper Himalayan Crystalline Series (UHCS). Immediately below the STD, the UHCS is highly deformed in the STD shear zone, lineations trend NNE and the shear senses are top to the NE. In micaschist, the P-T path constrained by pseudosection and garnet chemistry, shows successive metamorphic conditions of similar to 0.6 GPa and similar to 550 degrees C and 0.5 GPa and 625 degrees C. U/Pb dating of monazites and zircons in deformed and undeformed leucogranites suggests that ductile deformation lasted until at least similar to 16 Ma but ended prior to similar to 15 Ma in the STD shear zone similar to 100 m below the detachment. Ar/Ar micas ages in the footwall span between similar to 14.6 and 13.6 Ma, indicating rapid cooling down to similar to 320 degrees C, and suggesting persistence of normal faulting, at that time. The STDS is cut and offset by the N-S trending Dinggye active normal fault which initiated prior to 11 Ma thus providing a minimum bound for the end of STDS motion. These data are interpreted as reflecting 0.3 GPa (11 km) to 0.6 GPa (22 km) of exhumation along the STDS starting prior to similar to 16 Ma, ending between 13.6 and 11 Ma. The 1000 km long stretch of the STDS east of the Gurla Mandata probably stopped almost synchronously between 13 and 11 Ma ago, coevally with a sudden switch from NNE-SSW to E-W extension at the top of the accretionary prism, with a jump of the major thrust from the lower Main Central Thrust (MCTI) to the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), and with a change in the India and Asia convergence direction. This synchronism is probably better explained in the frame of a thrust wedge or thrust system model than a lower channel flow model. West of the Gurla Mandata the STDS appears to stop 5 to 3 Ma earlier, possibly related to local interactions with the Karakorum fault in a way that needs to be understood.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00475652
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00475652
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2009.12.035