Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
The strength of the lithospheric mantle controls the mode of lithosphere deformation: the presence or absence ofa high strength brittle mantle respectively leads to localized or distributed rifting. However, first order geophysicaldata question the existence of such a brittle mantle. Here we use 2-D finite-element large strain modelling toquantify the impact of a ductile localizing mantle – instead of brittle – in triggering continental rifting. As a novelty,the mantle rheology considers the effect of grain boundary sliding during strain-induced grain size reduction,which may promote a significant strength drop and subsequent strain localization at low mantle temperature (<700-800°C). Our results reveal that such ductile localizing mantle implies varying modes of continental rifting thatmainly depend on both the amount of weakening in the ductile mantle and the strength of the lower ductile crust. Amedium to strong lower crust implies coupling between the upper crust and ductile localizing mantle, yielding tonarrow continental rifting. In contrast, a weak lower crust implies decoupling between the upper crust and ductilelocalizing mantle, giving rise to a switch from distributed faulting at incipient strain to localized faulting at largestrain. Ductile strain localization in the lithospheric mantle is therefore sufficient to trigger continental rifting,although a critical amount of weakening is required. Such ductile localizing mantle provides a relevant geologicaland mechanical alternative to the brittle mantle. It moreover provides a wider variety of modes of upper crustalfaulting that are commonly observed in nature.
EGU General Assembly 2014
Vienne, Austria

insu-01565161
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01565161

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Analogue and numerical models have shown that the strength of the lithospheric mantle controls the mode of lithosphere deformation. In extension, the presence or absence of a high strength brittle mantle respectively leads to localized or distributed rifting. However, first order geophysical data question the existence of such a brittle mantle. Here we use 2-D finite-element large strain modelling to quantify the impact of a ductile localizing mantle - instead of brittle - in triggering continental rifting. As a novelty, the mantle rheology considers the effect of grain boundary sliding during strain-induced grain size reduction, which may promote a significant strength drop and subsequent strain localization at low mantle temperature (< 700-800 °C). Our results reveal that such ductile localizing mantle implies varying modes of continental rifting that mainly depend on both the amount of weakening in the ductile mantle and the strength of the lower ductile crust. A medium to strong lower crust implies coupling between the upper crust and ductile localizing mantle, yielding to narrow continental rifting. In contrast, a weak lower crust implies decoupling between the upper crust and ductile localizing mantle, giving rise to a switch from distributed faulting at incipient strain to localized faulting at large strain. Ductile strain localization in the lithospheric mantle is therefore sufficient to trigger continental rifting, although a critical amount of weakening is required. Such ductile localizing mantle provides a relevant geological and mechanical alternative to the brittle mantle. It moreover provides a wider variety of modes of upper crustal faulting that are commonly observed in nature.
ISSN: 0040-1951

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
insu-00924254
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00924254
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00924254/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00924254/file/Gueydan_precigout_2014_Tectonophysics.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2013.11.029

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
This study presents microstructural evidence for deformation-controlled melt organization and for changes in olivine deformation associated with the presence of melt in an 80 m vertical section of the crust-mantle transition zone in the Oman ophiolite. This zone represents an 'end member' case for analyzing feedbacks between deformation and melt distribution in the upper mantle, since it experienced strong shear strains in presence of large melt fractions. It is characterized by a subhorizontal compositional layering at the mm to meter scale, from weakly impregnated dunites to olivine-rich gabbros, which parallels a pervasive foliation containing a strong stretching lineation. The parallelism between the compositional layering and the foliation, the diffuse limits of the layers, the alignment of elongated plagioclase-rich aggregates devoid of internal deformation structures with the elongation of olivine crystals in the dunitic layers, and the sharp compositional changes across some, but not all layer limits suggest deformation plays an essential role on the development of the layering. The variation on a mm-scale of the olivine crystal preferred orientation (CPO) symmetry as a function of the modal content: from axial-[100] symmetry in layers with <70% modal olivine to axial-[010] in more gabbroic levels (<40% olivine), which is repeated over the entire section, implies deformation in presence of variable melt fractions. Axial-[100] olivine CPO in olivine-rich layers is consistent with deformation by dislocation creep under high temperature, low pressure, dry conditions. Axial-[010] olivine CPO patterns imply additional sliding along preferentially wetted (010) grain boundaries, increase in the activity of [001] glide, or transpression localized in the melt-rich layers. Since the change in CPO symmetry is not accompanied by dispersion, instantaneous melt fractions must have remained <30-40% in all layers. The continuous variation in olivine CPO symmetry with decreasing olivine content implies therefore that the former depends on the cumulated strain in presence of melt rather than on the instantaneous melt fraction.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00795508
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00795508
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2012.10.003

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
The brittle to ductile transition (BDT) in rocks may strongly influence their transport properties (i.e., permeability, porosity topology ...) and the maximum depth and temperature where hydrothermal fluids may circulate. To examine this transition in the context of Icelandic crust, we conducted deformation experiments on a glassy basalt (GB) and a glass-free basalt (GFB) under oceanic crust conditions. Mechanical and micro-structural observations at a constant strain rate of 10(-5) s(-1) and at confining pressure of 100-300 MPa indicate that the rocks are brittle and dilatant up to 700-800 degrees C. At higher temperatures and effective pressures the deformation mode becomes macroscopically ductile, i.e., deformation is distributed throughout the sample and no localized shear rupture plane develops. The presence of glass is a key component reducing the sample strength and lowering the pressure of the BDT. In the brittle field, strength is consistent with a Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion with an internal coefficient of friction of 0.42 for both samples. In the ductile field, strength is strain rate-and temperature-dependent and both samples were characterized by the same stress exponent in the range 3 < n < 4.2 but by very different activation energy Q(GB) = 59 +/- 15 KJ/mol and Q(GFB) = 456 +/- 4 KJ/mol. Extrapolation of these results to the Iceland oceanic crust conditions predicts a BDT at similar to 100 degrees C for a glassy basalt, whereas the BDT might occur in non-glassy basalts at deeper conditions, i.e., temperatures higher than 550 +/- 100 degrees C, in agreement with the Icelandic seismogenic zone.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00760905
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00760905
DOI : 10.1029/2011JB008884

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We review the geodynamic evolution of the Aegea-Anatolia region and discuss strain localisation there over geological times. From Late Eocene to Present, crustal deformation in the Aegean backarc has localised progressively during slab retreat. Extension started with the formation of the Rhodope Metamorphic Core Complex (Eocene) and migrated to the Cyclades and the northern Menderes massif (Oligocene and Miocene), accommodated by crustal-scale detachments and a first series of core complexes (MCCs). Extension then localised in Western Turkey, the Corinth Rift and the external Hellenic arc after Messinian times, while the North Anatolian Fault penetrated the Aegean Sea. Through time the direction and style of extension have not changed significantly except in terms of localisation. The contributions of progressive slab retreat and tearing, basal drag, extrusion tectonics and tectonic inheritance are discussed and we favour a model (1) where slab retreat is the main driving engine, (2) successive slab tearing episodes are the main causes of this stepwise strain localisation and (3) the inherited heterogeneity of the crust is a major factor for localising detachments. The continental crust has an inherited strong heterogeneity and crustal-scale contacts such as major thrust planes act as weak zones or as zones of contrast of resistance and viscosity that can localise later deformation. The dynamics of slabs at depth and the asthenospheric flow due to slab retreat also have influence strain localisation in the upper plate. Successive slab ruptures from the Middle Miocene to the Late Miocene have isolated a narrow stripe of lithosphere, still attached to the African lithosphere below Crete. The formation of the North Anatolian Fault is partly a consequence of this evolution. The extrusion of Anatolia and the Aegean extension are partly driven from below (asthenospheric flow) and from above (extrusion of a lid of rigid crust).
ISSN: 0040-1951

insu-00715950
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00715950
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00715950/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00715950/file/Jolivet-Aegean_Tectonophysics-2012.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2012.06.011

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 Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We report new data on the geochemical evolution, metasomatic and deformation processes in the lower layers of cratonic lithospheric mantle based on a detailed study of extraordinarily fresh and large deformed peridotite xenoliths from the Udachnaya kimberlite pipe, Siberia. Based on our T-P estimates, the deformed peridotites are localized in a depth range of 170 to 220 km near the base of cratonic mantle. The degree of deformation is not correlated with the depth and equilibration temperatures of the xenoliths. The deformed peridotites are depleted in magmaphile major elements indicating their residual nature, but are enriched in incompatible trace elements, Fe and K. The deformed peridotites experienced a complex evolution, i.e., they were formed initially as high-degree melt extraction residues and later were subjected to three main stages of metasomatic modification. (1) An old, mostly cryptic metasomatism by melt/fluid of carbonatitic composition, which formed garnets with sinusoidal REE patterns (Smn/Ern > 1). (2) Silicate metasomatism, which led to the most significant changes in mineralogical and chemical composition of the deformed peridotites. (3) Fe and Ti metasomatism just before the entrainment of the deformed rocks into kimberlite magma. Enrichment of the peridotites in large-ion lithophile elements (K, Rb, Ba) is related to the formation of kelyphitic rims around garnet. The nature of the metasomatic agent of silicate metasomatism was evaluated from mass-balance of measured and calculated whole-rock compositions, ratios of highly incompatible elements (D < 0.1) and fractional crystallization modeling. All this evidence indicates that the agent of silicate metasomatism had a composition intermediate between that of kimberlites and HIMU OIB. The metasomatic processes responsible for the formation of deformed peridotites and precipitation of megacryst suites cannot be widespread at the base of the cratonic mantle. Rather, they are local features only existing in the cratonic mantle below kimberlite fields and localized along the metasomatic vein system.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-00941010
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00941010
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2012.11.014

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
We report structural evidence of ductile strain localization in mantle pyroxenite from the spinel to plagioclase websterite transition in the Ronda Peridotite (southern Spain). Mapping shows that, in this domain, small-scale shear zones occurring at the base of the lithospheric section are systematically located within thin pyroxenite layers, suggesting that the pyroxenite was locally weaker than the host peridotite. Strain localization is associated with a sudden decrease of grain size and increasing volume fractions of plagioclase and amphibole as a result of a spinel to plagioclase phase transformation reaction during decompression. This reaction also fostered hydrogen extraction ('dehydroxylation') from clinopyroxene producing effective fluid saturation that catalyzed the synkinematic net-transfer reaction. This reaction produced fine-grained olivine and plagioclase, allowing the onset of grain-size sensitive creep and further strain localization in these pyroxenite bands. The strain localization in the pyroxenites is thus explained by their more fertile composition, which allowed earlier onset of the phase transition reactions. Geothermobarometry undertaken on compositionally zoned constituent minerals suggests that this positive feedback between reactions and deformation is associated with cooling from at least 1000°C to 700°C and decompression from 1*0 to 0*5 GPa.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00941293
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00941293
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egt039

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : In SW Yukon – SE Alaska, the boundary between the Pacific and North America plates is characterized by a syntaxis at the transition between the Aleutian subduction to the W and the Fairweather – Queen Charlotte strike-slip faults to the SE. The relative motion is oblique to the main fault structures, and the area is marked by the Yakutat block collision. From the Chugach – Saint Elias mountains in the plate boundary zone (up to 6 000 m high) to the intraplate strike-slip faults, markers of the present-day deformation give information on its partition in the system.During my PhD, I first measure surface deformation using a dense GPS network, deployed up to 500 km inland the North America plate. After precise processing and corrections of transient effects in the area (postseismic and glacial isostatic rebound), a new residual velocity field is produced for the syntaxis area, from which I derive strain rates. Those data allow me to quantify the fault slip rates for Fairweather and southern Denali strike-slip faults, and to characterize a bi-modal deformation pattern: Along the plate boundary, the deformation is localized on large-scale structures (accretionary prism to the W, Fairweather to the E); In the syntaxis area, strain rates are the highest and the GPS data shows a diffuse intraplate deformation, similar to an indentor pattern. The Yakutat block seems to strongly drive the North America plate deformation.This indentor pattern induces strong lateral variations on the large intraplate faults: the Denali – Totschunda – Duke River system. In a second part, I realize a regional geomorphological study to characterize the role and slip rate of those faults. From very high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (~ 1 m), a detailed cartography is done. On the basis of fieldwork observations, I measure offsets of fluvial and glacial markers, which are sampled for dating. A dextral cumulative deformation is highlighted on the northern Denali Fault, where as all southern Denali is marked by vertical deformation. This study allows me to quantify new slip rates for the system Denali – Totschunda – Duke River, and to show the leading role of the Totschunda (~ 14 mm/a) and Duke River (~ 6 mm/a) faults, contrary to the Denali Fault (~ 1 mm/a) North of the syntaxis.The new tectonic model for the Yakutat collision provides an important case study for the understanding of indentor systems. The concomitance of a rigid-block deformation (to the West) and diffuse deformation (to the East), as well as the near-zero slip rate on the lithospheric-scale southern Denali Fault highlight the major control of boundary conditions and the structural heritage on the orogen deformation.
Au SO Yukon – SE Alaska, la frontière entre les plaques Pacifique et Nord-Amérique est marquée par une syntaxe à la transition entre la subduction des Aléoutiennes à l’O et le décrochement de Fairweather – Queen Charlotte au SE. Le mouvement relatif est oblique et la région est marquée par la collision du bloc Yakutat. De la chaine des Chugach – Saint Elias en frontière de plaque (jusqu’à 6 000 m d’altitude) aux grands décrochements intraplaque, les marqueurs de la déformation actuelle apportent des informations sur sa partition dans ce système.Au cours de cette thèse, je m’intéresse dans un premier temps à mesurer la déformation de surface à l’aide d’un réseau GPS dense, déployé jusqu’à 500 km à l’intérieur de la plaque Nord-Amérique. Après un travail minutieux de traitement des données et de correction des effets transitoires (rebond post-glaciaire et post-sismique), un champ de vitesses résiduelles robuste et inédit est produit au niveau de la syntaxe, dont je dérive des taux de déformation. Ces données me permettent de quantifier les vitesses de glissement les failles décrochantes de Fairweather et Denali au Sud, et également de caractériser une déformation bimodale : En frontière de plaques, la déformation est localisée sur les grandes structures (prisme d’accrétion à l’O, Fairweather à l’E) ; Au niveau de la syntaxe, les taux de déformation sont les plus importants et les données GPS mettent en évidence une déformation intraplaque diffuse, similaire à un champ attendu à l’aplomb d’un indenteur. Le bloc Yakutat semble donc contrôler fortement la déformation de la plaque Nord-Amérique.Ce champ de déformation induit des variations latérales fortes sur les grandes failles intraplaque : le système Denali-Totschunda-Duke River. Dans une seconde partie, je réalise une étude géomorphologique régionale pour caractériser le rôle et la vitesse de ces failles. À partir de Modèles Numériques de Terrain très haute résolution (~ 1 m), une cartographie de détail est réalisée. Puis une mission de terrain me permet de mesurer des décalages sur des marqueurs fluviatiles et glaciaires et collecter des échantillons pour les dater. Je mets en évidence une déformation cumulée dextre sur le segment Nord de la faille de Denali, alors que toute la partie Sud déforme verticalement la surface. Cette étude me permet de quantifier de nouvelles vitesses de failles sur le système Denali-Totschunda-Duke River, et de montrer le rôle prépondérant des failles de Totschunda (~ 14 mm/a) et Duke River (~ 6 mm/a) contrairement à la faille de Denali (~ 1 mm/a) au Nord de la syntaxe.Le nouveau modèle cinématique proposé pour la région de collision Yakutat permet d’apporter un nouvel exemple à la compréhension des systèmes d’indenteur. La concomitance d’une déformation de blocs (à l’Ouest) et diffuse (à l’Est), ainsi que l’absence de déformation sur la faille lithosphérique de Denali Sud met en évidence le contrôle majeur des conditions aux limites et de l’héritage structural dans la déformation des orogènes.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01241688

tel-01241688
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01241688
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01241688/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01241688/file/manuscrit_anais_v2_optimise.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Deformation of the continental lithosphere is traditionally modeled assuming that heat production in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle is negligible. Although this may be appropriate for highly depleted Archean lithosphere, studies of mantle xenoliths and lithospheric-derived mafic rocks suggest that heat productions of up to 0.4 ;μW/m3 may be attained in the mantle of Phanerozoic and Neoproterozoic regions due to modal metasomatism. To investigate the effect of a local enrichment in heat-producing elements within the lithospheric mantle on the continental deformation, we performed a series of 2D thermo-mechanical models simulating the deformation of a lithospheric plate 1000 km long, which contains in its central part a 200 km wide and 20 km-thick mantle layer with a heat production of 0.05;–0.25 ;μW/m3 between 40 and 80 km depth, leading to a local enhancement of the surface heat flow by 1;–5 mW/m2. Compression models show that a 20 km-thick layer with a heat production as low as 0.05 ;μW/m3 within the shallow lithospheric mantle leads to strain localization in both the enriched mantle and the overlying crust. Strain localization depends exponentially on the temperature increase in the lithosphere section, which is controlled by the volume of metasomatized mantle and the intensity of the metasomatic enrichment in heat-producing elements. A heat production of 0.25 μW/m3 between 60 and 80 km depth results, for instance, in strains within and above the metasomatized mantle 5 times higher than in the surrounding lithosphere. Strain localization also depends on the location of the heat-producing domain and on the plate rheological structure; deeper heat-producing domains and weaker plates leading to stronger localization. These results provide an explanation for strain localization in intraplate environments, leading to the formation of orogenic belts situated hundreds to thousands of kilometers away from known plate boundaries, as observed in the Neoproterozoic belts of Gondwana and in the present-day deformation of the Asian plate.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00411386
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411386
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.040

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Strain and strain rate partitioning in partially molten rocks are two of the important mechanisms that govern the process of coupling and/or decoupling of the partially molten lithosphere. Consequently, the proportion of partial melt and crystals and their network in partially molten rocks influence the degree of the partitioning along with the bulk rheology of the system. This study explores the possible role of finite strain and strain rate on the rate and volume of partial melting and crystallization in a metapelitic system undergoing deformation. Cylinders of synthetic quartz-muscovite aggregate (7: 3 volume ratio) were deformed in torsion at 750 C, 300 MPa and constant shear strain rate ((gamma) over dot = 3 x 10(-4) s(-1)) for finite shear strains (gamma) 1-15. The deformed samples were studied along the longitudinal tangential ( LT) and axial ( LA) sections to obtain the data along a range of strain rates for a given finite strain and vice versa. The results showed that deformation plays an important role on the kinetics of partial melting and crystallization. With increasing strain rate, amount and rate of crystallization comprise the volumetrically dominant process compared to partial melting at a given finite strain. In contrast, when the strain rate is constant, partial melting is the dominant process over crystallization up to moderate strain (gamma < 5). The dominant process reverses at higher strain, and the system shows more crystallization than partial melting. Application of the experimental data to geological systems implies that for metapelites a significant amount (similar to 20%) of partial melt can generate at high strain rate and moderate strain (gamma similar to 7), but at high strain (gamma = 15) the system is melt depleted. Under such conditions, decoupling should take place in brittle-ductile mode. On the other hand, rocks undergoing deformation with low strain rates and strain (gamma < 3) contain more than 25% partial melt, which can act as a major decoupling agent by localizing ductile shear zones.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00617714
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617714
DOI : 10.1029/2010JB007865

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
Résumé : International audience
Mylonite bodies are exhumed extensions at depth of shallow structural level brittle faults. They are characterised by intense strain localisation involving large volumes of middle to lower continental crust. The analysis of shear zone geometry and microstructures is a useful tool to decipher deformation kinematics, though finite strain estimation is still relatively qualitative. Timing of the deformation has also been the focus of numerous studies using the complete spectrum of geochronometers. However, only rare examples provide geochronological data that can be unambiguously interpreted and cooling, recrystallisation and neocrystallisation are difficult to tell from each other. Thus, time-scales over which major mylonite zones develop and remain active under ductile conditions as well as their strain rate often remain poorly documented. We investigated two sections across the South-Armorican Shear Zone (SASZ), a crustal-scale pluri-km thick dextral shear zone active during a single tectonic event of late-Variscan age and associated with syntectonic granite emplacement.. Finite strain profiles on these cross-sections, quantified from average Quartz grain-size in 34 samples, show a strong deformation partitioning towards the center of the SASZ, with a decrease, for each section, from 150µm in slightly deformed zones to less than 7-5 µm in the core of the ultramylonite. Furthermore, toward the core of the SASZ, development of a penetrative shear band network progressively eliminates lenses of less deformed rocks and results in homogenisation of the Quartz grain sizes. In parallel, we performed in-situ UV-laser Ar/Ar dating on the fabric-forming white micas. White micas population can be decomposed into inherited muscovites carried by the folation and newly-formed, syn-tectonic substituted phengites located along the shear bands yielding 2 age groups for each sample. Along the profiles, the difference between these two ages evolves from 10-15 Ma in weakly deformed domains to zero toward the SASZ core. In addition, mylonite-forming phengites yielded the same age irrespectively of their position on the section or of the rock strain.. On the regional point of view, this study brings deformation-ages for the late-orogenic evolution of the South Armorican domain. Strain accumulated along the SASZ in a time-span extending to 300-298 Ma, i.e. contemporaneously with the activity of nearby major extensional shear zones. These results support a new model of crustal-scale shear zone activity, where the whole body of the shear zone is active throughout its history (defined as the largest age difference through the section), i.e. the actively deforming zone does not get progressively narrower. The strain distribution nevertheless evolves with time, with an increasingly large fraction partitioned in the ultramylonitic core.
EGU General Assembly
Vienne, Austria

insu-00839320
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00839320
BIBCODE : 2010EGUGA..12.9881A

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Despite decades of petrological and geochemical studies, the nature and setting of obducted ophiolites remain controversial: the influence of supra-subduction zone environments on pre-existing oceanic lithosphere is yet to assess, and the processes leading to subduction/obduction initiation are still poorly constrained. Our study documents successive influx of slab-derived fluids and progressive strain localization within the upper mantle in a supra-subduction environment during the first few My of the subduction history. We focus on strongly sheared mafic amphibolites intruding peridotites near the mantle–crust transition of the New Caledonia obducted ophiolite and ~ 50 to 100 m above the basal thrust contact of the ophiolite. These m- to hm-long and several m-thick shear bands are interpreted as inherited small-scale intrusions of mafic melts, probably dikes or sills, which were derived from a moderately refractory mantle source refertilized by supra-subduction zone fluids. 40Ar/39Ar age constraints on pargasite at ca. 90 Ma suggest that they could be inherited from the former Pacific west-dipping subduction.Secondary deformation of these mafic intrusions is intimately associated to three major stages of fluid infiltration: (1) the first stage of deformation and metasomatism is marked by syn-kinematic growth of Ca-amphibole (at 700–800 °C and 3–5 kbar) with a distinctive supra-subduction zone signature, and controlled later channelization of aqueous fluids. 40Ar/39Ar dating on magnesio-hornblende indicates that this deformation episode occurred at ca. 55 Ma, coincident with east-dipping subduction initiation; (2) the main metasomatic stage, characterized by the development of a phlogopite-rich matrix wrapping peridotites and amphibolite boudins, points to the percolation of alkali-rich aqueous fluids at still high temperature (650–750 °C); (3) the last, low temperature (< 600 °C) metasomatic stage results in the formation of deformed veinlets containing talc, chlorite and serpentine.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-01306664
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01306664/file/Soret_2016_Strain_localization.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2015.11.022

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Geodetic data support a short-term continental deformation localized in faults bounding lithospheric blocks. Whether major "faults" observed at the surface affect the lithospheric mantle and, if so, how strain is distributed are major issues for understanding the mechanical behavior of lithospheric plates. A variety of evidence, from direct observations of deformed peridotites in orogenic massifs, ophiolites, and mantle xenoliths to seismic reflectors and seismic anisotropy beneath major fault zones, consistently supports prolongation of major faults into the lithospheric mantle. This review highlights that many aspects of the lithospheric mantle deformation remain however poorly understood. Coupling between deformation in frictional faults in the uppermost crust and localized shearing in the ductile crust and mantle is required to explain the post-seismic deformation, but mantle viscosities deduced from geodetic data and extrapolated from laboratory experiments are only reconciled if temperatures in the shallow lithospheric mantle are high (> 800 °C at the Moho). Seismic anisotropy, especially shear wave splitting, provides strong evidence for coherent deformation over domains several tens of km wide in the lithospheric mantle beneath major transcurrent faults. Yet it cannot detect narrow strain localization zones or shallowly dipping faults. Seismic profiling images shallow-dipping seismic reflectors in the lithospheric mantle interpreted as the continuation of normal or, less frequently, inverse faults in the mantle. However the nature of these reflectors is poorly understood. There is a large discrepancy between the scale at which deformation processes are studied (a few kilometers, at most, due to the limited size of continuous mantle exposures at the Earth's surface) and the scale inferred for strain localization in the mantle from geophysical observations (tens of kilometers). Combining data on deformation microstructures and crystal preferred orientations in naturally deformed peridotites and seismologic observations allows nevertheless discussing strain localization processes that may play a role on the development of mantle shear zones.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00750314
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00750314
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2012.06.006

Éditeur(s) : Université Européenne de Bretagne
Résumé : The southwest Pacific results from the fragmentation of Gondwanaland since the Cretaceous time. The purpose of the current PhD work is to deepen our understanding of the history of the New Caledonia and Fairway basins, located west of New Caledonia, in order to better constrain the geodynamical evolution of the SW Pacific from Cretaceous to Oligocene. The analysis of new geophysical data has led to distinguish 3 main phases of this fragmentation: 1 Mid Cretaceous formation of the Fairway-Aotea Basin in a continental intra-arc position. The formation of this basin reflects the initial stage of continental fragmentation of the Eastern Gondwana margin. The causes of this fragmentation are to be searched for in a major change of the dynamics of the peri-Pacific subduction zone. 2 Latest late Eocene local deformation of the Northern NCB, synchronously with the New Caledonian obduction. We suggest that as the ophiolitic nappe was being obducted onto New Caledonia, the NC Basin subsided under the effect of the loading and underthrusted to accommodate the compressional deformation as a foreland flexural basin. 3 Regional Eocene Oligocene subsidence of the structures linking NC to New Zealand. The morphostructural style of this deformation leads us to suggest that detachment of the lower crust is the cause of subsidence. We therefore propose a model in which the renewal of the Australia-Pacific convergent plate boundary around 45 Ma would have driven the lithosphere to thicken, leading to a root instability and to its detachment in the mantle. These new results have regional petroleum implications, which are discussed in the PhD.
Le Sud-Ouest Pacifique est le résultat de la fragmentation de la marge Est du Gondwana depuis le Crétacé. L'objet du présent travail de thèse est d'approfondir la connaissance des bassins de Nouvelle-Calédonie et de Fairway, situés à l'Ouest de la NC, afin de préciser l'évolution géodynamique du SO Pacifique du Crétacé à l'Oligocène. L'analyse de nouvelles données géophysiques a permis de dégager 3 étapes de cette fragmentation: 1 Formation du Bassin de Fairway-Aotea au Crétacé moyen en position intra-arc continental. La formation de ce bassin reflète les prémices de la déchirure continentale de la marge Est Gondwanienne dont la cause est à rechercher dans un changement de la dynamique de la subduction. 2 Déformation locale de la partie Nord du BNC à l'Eocène terminal synchrone à l'obduction Néo Calédonienne. Nous proposons ainsi un modèle selon lequel le BNC aurait subsidé et réagi comme un bassin flexural d'avant-pays suivant un processus de sous-charriage, au fur et à mesure que la nappe progressait sur le bâti Calédonien. 3 Subsidence Eocène Oligocène régionale affectant les structures reliant la Nouvelle-Zélande à la NC. Les traits morphostructuraux de cette déformation nous permettent d'émettre l'hypothèse que l'ablation d'une partie de la croûte inférieure de ce système serait responsable de la subsidence. Nous proposons ainsi un modèle dans lequel la reprise de la convergence vers 45 Ma entre les plaques Australienne et Pacifique aurait entraîné un épaississement crustal de l'ensemble aboutissant à une instabilité gravitaire de sa racine et provoquant son détachement dans le manteau. Ces nouveaux résultats ont des implications pour le potentiel pétrolier régional.

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/these-6520.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/sup-6520.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6520/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The lithospheric mantle is intrinsically heterogeneous and anisotropic. These two properties govern the repartition of deformation, controlling intraplate strain localization and development of new plate boundaries. Geophysical and geological observations provide clues on the types, ranges, and characteristic length scales of heterogeneity and anisotropy in the lithospheric mantle. Seismic tomography points to variations in geothermal gradient and hence in rheological behavior at scales of hundreds of km. Seismic anisotropy data substantiate anisotropic physical properties consistent at scales of tens to hundreds of km. Receiver functions imply lateral and vertical heterogeneity at scales < 10 km, which might record gradients in composition or anisotropy. Observations on naturally deformed peridotites establish that compositional heterogeneity and Crystal Preferred Orientations (CPOs) are ubiquitous from the mm to the km scales. These data allow discussing the processes that produce/destroy heterogeneity and anisotropy and constraining the time scales over which they are active. This analysis highlights: (i) the role of deformation and reactive percolation of melts and fluids in producing compositional and structural heterogeneity and the feedbacks between these processes, (ii) the weak mechanical effect of mineralogical variations, and (iii) the low volumes of fine-grained microstructures and difficulty to preserve them. In contrast, olivine CPO and the resulting anisotropy of mechanical and thermal properties are only modified by deformation. Based on this analysis, we propose that strain localization at the plate scale is, at first order, controlled by large-scale variations in thermal structure and in CPO-induced anisotropy. In cold parts of the lithospheric mantle , grain size reduction may contribute to strain localization, but the low volume of fine-grained domains limits this effect.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-01277174
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01277174
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.07.026

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Science Bv
Résumé : We present the results from a new grid of deep penetration multichannel seismic (MCS) profiles over the 280-km-long north-central segment of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone. The 14 dip-lines and 7 strike-lines image the topographical variations of (i) the subduction interplate décollement, (ii) the top of the arcward subducting Atlantic oceanic crust (TOC) under the huge accretionary wedge up to 7 km thick, and (iii) the trenchward dipping basement of the deeply buried forearc backstop of the Caribbean upper plate. The four northernmost long dip-lines of this new MCS grid reveal several-kilometres-high topographic variations of the TOC beneath the accretionary wedge offshore Guadeloupe and Antigua islands. They are located in the prolongation of those mapped on the Atlantic seafloor entering subduction, such as the Barracuda Ridge. This MCS grid also provides unexpected evidences on huge along-strike topographical variation of the backstop basement and of the deformation style affecting the outer forearc crust and sediments. Their mapping clearly indicates two principal areas of active deformation in the prolongation of the major Barracuda and Tiburon ridges and also other forearc basement highs that correspond to the prolongation of smaller oceanic basement highs recently mapped on the Atlantic seafloor. Although different in detail, the two main deforming forearc domains share similarities in style. The imaged deformation of the sedimentary stratification reveals a time- and space-dependent faulting by successive warping and unwarping, which deformation can be readily attributed to the forearc backstop sweeping over the two obliquely-oriented elongated and localized topographical ridges. The induced faulting producing vertical scarps in this transport does not require a regional arc-parallel extensional regime as proposed for the inner forearc domain, and may support a partitioned tectonic deformation such as in the case of an outer forearc sliver. A contrasted reflectivity of the sedimentary layering at the transition between the outer forearc and accretionary domains was resolved and used to define the seaward edge of the outer forearc basement interpreted as being possibly a proxy to the updip limit of the interplate seismogenic zone. Its mapping documents along-arc variations of some tens of kilometres the subduction backstop with respect to the negative gravity anomaly commonly taken as marking the subduction trench. With the exception of the southernmost part, the newly mapped updip limit reaches 25 km closer to the trench, thus indicating a possible wider seismogenic zone over almost the whole length of the study area.
Tectonophysics (0040-1951) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2013-09 , Vol. 603 , P. 32-54

Droits : 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00139/25003/23109.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.tecto.2013.05.028
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00139/25003/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
The outstanding exposure of deformation bands in a multilayer sequence of the Orange quarry, Provence, France, motivates a study investigating the development and controls of deformation band geometries by field mapping combined with finite element modeling. Field mapping yields new insights into angular relations between, and evolution of, the deformation bands as well as provides input parameters for the setup and boundary conditions of the numerical simulations using ADELI 2D. In particular, reverse-sense deformation bands are found to have developed within three of the four exposed layers of the multilayer stack with similar orientations to bedding, indicating layer-parallel contraction. Numerical simulations, carried out as a parametric study to investigate the influence on deformation band development and geometry, successfully reproduce the sequential development of deformation bands in the three layers as seen in the field as well as recreate the observed angular geometries of similar to 39 degrees to the maximum compression. This angular relationship is put into context with observations from other field studies and theoretical values to explore controls of deformation band orientations. Furthermore, band localization is impeded in the model by increased layer cohesive strength, demonstrating the importance of host-rock property variations on where localization of bands within the multilayer sequence. Results from both field investigation and numerical simulations are consistent with regional tectonics, where the strata underwent gentle folding due to thrust faulting at depth, and bring further insight into the development and geometry of deformation bands in both extensional and contractional tectonic regimes.
ISSN: 0148-0227

hal-00639452
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00639452
DOI : 10.1029/2011JB008365

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société Géologique de France
Résumé : International audience
The seaward extension of onshore formations and structures were previously almost unknown in Provence. The interpretation of 2D high-resolution marine seismic profiles together with the integration of sea-bottom rock samples provides new insights into the stratigraphic, structural and paleogeographic framework of pre-Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) deposits of the Provence continental shelf. Seven post-Jurassic seismic units have been identified on seismic profiles, mapped throughout the offshore Provence area and correlated with the onshore series. The studied marine surface and sub-surface database provided new insights into the mid and late Cretaceous paleogeography and structural framework as well as into the syn-and post-rift deformation in Provence. Thick (up to 2000 m) Aptian-Albian series whose deposition is controlled by E-W-trending faults are evidenced offshore. The occurrence and location of the Upper Cretaceous South-Provence basin is confirmed by the thick (up to 1500 m) basinal series downlaping the Aptian-Albian unit. This basin was fed in terrigenous sediments by a southern massif (" Massif Méridional ") whose present-day relict is the Paleozoic basement and its sedimentary cover from the Sicié imbricate. In the bay of Marseille, thick syn-rift (Rupelian to Aquitanian) deposition occurred (>1000 m). During the rifting phase, syn-sedimentary deformations consist of dominant N040 to N060 sub-vertical faults with a normal component and N050 drag-synclines and anticlines. The syn-rift and early post-rift units (Rupelian to early Burdigalian) are deformed and form a set of E-W-trending en echelon folds that may result from sinistral strike-slip reactivation of N040 to N060 normal faults during a N-S com-pressive phase of early-to-mid Burdigalian age (18-20 Ma). Finally, minor fault reactivation and local folding affect post-rift deposits within a N160-trending corridor localized south of La Couronne, and could result from a later, post-Burdigalian and pre-Pliocene compressive phase.
Cadre tectonostratigraphique des formations anté-pliocènes du plateau continental de Provence (golfe du Lion oriental, SE France) Mots-clés. – Géologie marine, Tectonostratigraphie, Stratigraphie sismique, Paléogéographie crétacée, Rifting oligo-miocène, Compression post-rift Résumé. – Le prolongement en mer des formations et des structures provençales était jusqu'alors largement inconnu.L'interprétation de profils de sismique-réflexion marine 2D et l'intégration de dragages et carottages du fond-marin ont permis d'apporter des éléments nouveaux concernant le cadre stratigraphique, structural et paléogéographique des dé-pôts anté-Messiniens du plateau continental de Provence. Sept unités sismiques post-jurassiques ont été identifiées sur les profils sismiques, cartographiées à travers le plateau continental et corrélées avec les séries affleurant à terre. Une épaisse unité apto-albienne (jusqu'à 2000 m) dont le dépôt est contrôlé par des failles E-W a été mise en évidence en mer. L'existence d'un bassin subsident au Crétacé supérieur sur le plateau continental de Provence a été confirmée par le développement d'une épaisse série de bassin (jusqu'à 1500 m) reposant en downlap sur l'Apto-Albien. Le socle mé-tamorphique de l'écaille de Sicié et sa couverture sédimentaire peut être considéré comme une relique allochtone du « Massif Méridional » ayant alimenté le Bassin sud-provençal en éléments terrigènes au Crétacé supérieur. Dans la rade de Marseille, une épaisse unité syn-rift (Rupélien à Aquitanien) a été mise en évidence (>1000 m), structurée en une série de synformes en échelon d'axe E-W et affectée par des failles d'orientation dominante N040 à N060. Sur le flanc sud des synformes, la formation de plis d'axe N050 est associée à une déformation syn-sédimentaire. La formation des synformes en échelon d'axe E-W résulterait d'une réactivation en décrochement des failles N040 à N060 pendant une phase de compression N-S dont l'âge est compris entre le Burdigalien inférieur et moyen (18-20 Ma). Enfin, les dépôts post-rift sont affectés par des déformations mineures (réactivation de failles et plis associés), le long d'un couloir d'orientation N160 à l'ouest de la baie de Marseille, attribuables à une phase de compression post-burdigalienne et anté-pliocène.
ISSN: 0037-9409

hal-01463727
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727/document
https://hal-amu.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01463727/file/Fournier_et_al_Provence_2016.pdf
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.187.4-5.187