Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
The transition between the small melt lens observed on top of fast spreading ridge magma chambers and the overlying sheeted dike complex marks the interface between magma and the hydrothermal convective system. It is therefore critical to our understanding of fast spreading ridge accretion processes. We present maps of two areas of the Oman ophiolite where this transition zone is observed as continuous outcrops. Our observations, which include the base of the sheeted dike being crosscut by gabbros, are consistent with episodic dike injections in a steady state model but also suggest that the root of these dikes is commonly erased by vertical movements of the top of the melt lens. Dike assimilation is a possible mechanism for incorporating hydrated phases, which result from hydrothermal alteration, to the melt lens during upward migrations of its upper boundary. Upward migrations are also responsible for a granoblastic overprint of the root of the dikes that is also observed in the stoped diabase xenoliths. This granoblastic overprint attests to reheating of previously hydrothermally altered lithologies which can even trigger hydrous partial melting due to the lowering of the solidus of mafic lithologies by the presence of a water activity. Clinopyroxenes present in these granoblastic lithologies are typically low in Ti and Al content, thus strongly contrasting with corresponding magmatic clinopyroxene. This may attest to the recrystallization of clinopyroxenes after amphiboles under the peculiar conditions present at the root zone of the sheeted dike complex. Downward migrations of the top of the melt lens result in the crystallization of the isotropic gabbros at its roof, which represent the partly fossilized melt lens. Melt lens fossilization eventually occurs when magma supply is stopped or at the melt lens margins where the thermal conditions become cooler. Melt lens migration, recrystallization of hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes during reheating stages, and assimilation processes observed in the Oman ophiolite are consistent with the observations made in IODP Hole 1256D. We propose a general dynamic model in which the melt lens at fast spreading ridges undergoes upward and downward movements as a result of either eruption/replenishment stages or variations in the hydrothermal/magmatic fluxes.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00445249
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00445249
DOI : 10.1029/2009GC002652

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
In the Oman ophiolite, the horizon where the melt lens pinched during drifting away from the ocean ridge axis has been identified. Starting in the Root Zone of the Sheeted Dike Complex (RZSDC) located above this horizon, 18 Sections down to the upper gabbros unit have been mapped in great detail, in selected areas of the southern massifs of this ophiolite. They are complemented by 133 sites, located throughout the entire ophiolite, where the transition from the RZSDC to the uppermost foliated gabbros is well exposed. Altogether, half the sites and 11 cross sections display, within a few tens of meters beneath the RZSDC, a magmatic foliation which is parallel to the overlying sheeted dikes. In the other sites and cross sections, the gabbro foliation is either flat-lying or steep but not parallel to the sheeted dikes. Compared to the RZSDC isotropic ophitic gabbros where clinopyroxene is interstitial between plagioclase laths, in the topmost steeply foliated gabbros, clinopyroxene is idiomorphic, becoming rapidly granular and tabular down section by recrystallization and peripheral alteration to hornblende. Moving down from these uppermost gabbros and over one hundred meters, the steep foliation becomes stronger and the poorly recovered top gabbros grade into the recrystallized, granular gabbros of the gabbro unit. These repeated observations indicate to ascribe these gabbros to subsidence of a compacting mush from the floor of the melt lens into the underlying, main magma chamber. The topmost gabbros beneath RZSDC, which were expelled from the melt lens by drifting very soon after settling on the melt lens floor, display in plagioclase a spectacular zoning pointing to a fast cooling. Moving downwards, stronger foliation, increased compaction and recovery-recrystallization are explained by the time spent by the subsiding mush inside the magma chamber increasing by one order of magnitude (similar to 50 to 500 yr) over this vertical distance. This field-based study brings compelling field evidence supporting the former models of subsidence which were based on the assumption that the mush that settled onto the floor of the melt lens is sucked downwards during drifting of the crust away from the ridge axis.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00420903
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420903
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2009.04.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : This PhD work is based on field, petrographic, and geochemical observations of rocks originated at the base of the sheeted dike complex, in the Oman ophiolite and at IODP Site 1256, coupled with an experimental study. It provides new constrains on processes that occur at the magma / hydrothermal system transition in oceanic crust formed at fast spreading ridges. The base of the sheeted dike complex is truncated by intrusive isotropic gabbros, and therefore reheated and recrystallized to the "granoblastic dikes" under temperatures up to 1030°C. Xenoliths of granoblastic microgabbros and microgabbronorites derived from the granoblastic dikes are commonly observed in the about 100 meters thick horizon of isotropic gabbro that underlies the sheeted dike complex. These features can be explained by upward migrations of the melt lens that is present at fast spreading centers. The occurrence of several assimilation features (xenoliths and granoblastic patches) in the isotropic gabbro horizon supports the hypothesis that this horizon represents the fossilization of the upper melt lens. The experimental study was designed to simulate experimentally the effect of partial melting of hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. The results show that melting starts at 850°C, confirm the residual origin of granoblastic dikes and xenoliths, and attest to the anatectic origin of the oceanic plagiogranites that are commonly present close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. The major and trace element composition of the experimental anatectic melt that represents the main contaminant for primitive MORBs at fast spreading ridges has been determined. The upper axial melt lens at fast spreading mid-ocean ridges is herein described as a dynamic system that can migrate vertically, and which fossilizes when moving off-axis.
Ce travail de thèse est basé sur des observations de terrain, sur une étude pétrographique et géochimique des roches formées à la base du complexe filonien dans l'ophiolite d'Oman et au niveau du Site IODP 1256, ainsi que sur une étude expérimentale. De nouvelles contraintes sont apportées sur les processus se produisant à la transition magma / système hydrothermal dans la croute océanique formée au niveau des dorsales à expansion rapide. L'intrusion de gabbros isotropes dans la base du complexe filonien a provoqué son réchauffement et sa recrystallization en « dikes granoblastiques » jusqu'à des températures de 1030°C. Des xénolites de microgabbro à orthopyroxene dérivées des dikes granoblastiques sont souvent observées dans le niveau de gabbros isotropes épais de 100 mètres environ qui est présent à la base du complexe filonien. Ces différentes caractéristiques sont à relier à des migrations verticales vers le haut du sommet de la lentille magmatique supérieure qui est observée aux dorsales rapides. Les nombreuses évidences d'assimilation (xénolites et patchs granoblastiques) dans le niveau des gabbros isotropes appuient l'hypothèse que ce niveau représente la fossilisation de la lentille magmatique supérieure. L'étude expérimentale a consisté à tester l'effet de la fusion partielle du complexe filonien préalablement hydrothermalisé. Les résultats montrent que la fusion commence à 850°C, confirment l'origine résiduelle des dikes granoblastiques et des xénolites associées, et attestent de l'origine anatectique des plagiogranites océaniques qui sont couramment observés à proximité de la base du complexe filonien. La composition en éléments majeurs et traces du liquide anatectique a été déterminée. Ce liquide représente le principal contaminant pour les MORBs primitifs émis au niveau des dorsales rapides. La lentille magmatique supérieure présente au niveau des dorsales médio-océaniques à expansion rapide est ici décrite comme un système dynamique qui peut migrer verticalement, et qui est fossilisée lorsqu'elle se déplace hors axe.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00448699

tel-00448699
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00448699
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00448699/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00448699/file/France_2009_PhD.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
In ophiolites and in present-day oceanic crust formed at fast spreading ridges, oceanic plagiogranites are commonly observed at, or close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. They can be produced either by differentiation of mafic melts, or by hydrous partial melting of the hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. In addition, the hydrothermally altered base of the sheeted dike complex, which is often infiltrated by plagiogranitic veins, is usually recrystallized into granoblastic dikes that are commonly interpreted as a result of prograde granulitic metamorphism. To test the anatectic origin of oceanic plagiogranites, we performed melting experiments on a natural hydrothermally altered dike, under conditions that match those prevailing at the base of the sheeted dike complex. All generated melts are water saturated, transitional between tholeiitic and calc-alkaline, and match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites observed close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. Newly crystallized clinopyroxene and plagioclase have compositions that are characteristic of the same minerals in granoblastic dikes. Published silicic melt compositions obtained in classical MORB fractionation experiments also broadly match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites; however, the compositions of the coexisting experimental minerals significantly deviate from those of the granoblastic dikes. Our results demonstrate that hydrous partial melting is a likely common process in the root zone of the sheeted dike complex, starting at temperatures exceeding 850A degrees C. The newly formed melt can either crystallize to form oceanic plagiogranites or may be recycled within the melt lens resulting in hybridized and contaminated MORB melts. It represents the main MORB crustal contamination process. The residue after the partial melting event is represented by the granoblastic dikes. Our results support a model with a dynamic melt lens that has the potential to trigger hydrous partial melting reactions in the previously hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. A new thermometer using the Al content of clinopyroxene is also elaborated.
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-00534058
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00534058
DOI : 10.1007/s00410-010-0502-6

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : A section of ancient fast-spreading ocean crust was sampled at Wadi Gideah, located in the Wadi Tayin Massif of the Oman ophiolite. This sample suite was used for generating a coherent data set combining various petro-geochemical and structural investigations, with the aim of building a reference section for advancing our understanding of crustal accretion processes at fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Additionally, this study focuses on one outcrop that represents part of the fossil axial melt lens (AML).Major and trace element analyses reveal a trend of chemical evolution up section in the lower crust, with a marked difference between the layered gabbros and the foliated gabbros above. Petrological modeling shows that the chemical evolution up section can be produced by hydrous fractionation crystallization, with melt H2O contents of ~0.8 wt% and 0.8 to 1.2 wt% for the lower and upper crust, respectively. Together with the observed very steep bulk Zr/Hf vs. Zr gradient, high F and Cl content of magmatic amphibole, general Nb-Ta depletion of melts compared with NMORB, and high Sr87/Sr86 ratio compared with modern fast-spread crust, this suggests that Wadi Gideah layered gabbros were accreted by crystallization of ascending melts in sills, in a context of subduction initiation. The distinct changes in chemical trends and average grain size at the layered to foliated gabbro transition are tentatively explained by enhanced hydrothermal cooling deeper than the AML. The gabbro/dike transition displays complex structural and lithological relationships that, together with fractional crystallization modeling, point to episodic vertical movements of the AML. Plagioclase crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) measured over the whole gabbro section are always consistent with magmatic flow. The CPO strength generally increases downward, with more scattering in the layered gabbro section. From the top to the bottom of the layered gabbros, CPO become progressively more prolate, possibly reflecting increasing shear induced by active mantle flow underneath.Wadi Gideah lower crust recorded a formation history consistent with a hybrid accretion model, combing several processes such as downward magmatic flow and/or upward melt migration in the upper foliated gabbros, sill intrusions in the layered gabbros, and deep hydrothermal circulation. The latter was presumably focused in channels, preserved today as several, up to 100 m wide zones of extensively altered former layered gabbro, cross-cutting the magmatic layering. These metagabbros display significantly higher Sr87/Sr86 ratio, late stage magmatic phases, and evidence for high temperature partial melting.
Une coupe d'ancienne croute océanique rapide a été échantillonnée dans le Wadi Gideah, situé dans le Massif de Wadi Tayin de l'Ophiolite d'Oman. Cette série d'échantillons a permis de générer un jeu de données cohérent, combinant des études pétro-géochimiques et structurales, dans le but de construire une coupe de référence pour mieux contraindre notre compréhension des processus d'accrétion crustale aux dorsales océaniques rapides. Ce travail intègre aussi l'étude détaillée d'un affleurement représentant en partie la lentille magmatique axiale (LMA) fossile.Les analyses d'éléments majeurs et traces révèlent une évolution chimique dans la croûte inférieure, avec une nette différence entre les gabbros lités et les gabbros foliés sus-jacents. La modélisation pétrologique montre que l'évolution chimique vers le haut peut être produite par cristallisation fractionnée hydratée, avec des teneurs en H2O des magmas de ~0.8 wt% dans la croute inférieure et 0.8 to 1.2 wt% dans la croute supérieure. Combiné aux forts gradients de Zr/Hf vs. Zr, aux teneurs élevées de F et Cl dans les amphiboles magmatiques, à l'appauvrissement général en Nb-Ta des magmas comparé aux NMORB, et aux rapports Sr87/Sr86 élevés comparés à la croûte rapide moderne, ceci suggère que les gabbros lités du Wadi Gideah ont été formés par la cristallisation des magmas ascendants dans des sills, dans un contexte d'initiation de subduction. Les changements de signature géochimique et de taille de grain à la transition entre gabbros lités et gabbros foliés témoignent possiblement d'un fort refroidissement hydrothermal plus profond que la LMA. La transition complexe filonien/gabbro montre des relations structurale et lithologiques complexes, qui, combinées o la modélisation de la cristallisation fractionnée, traduisent les mouvements verticaux épisodiques de la LMA. Les orientations préférentielles cristallographiques (OPC) des plagioclases mesurées sur l'ensemble de la coupe dans les gabbros témoignent toujours d'une déformation magmatique. L'intensité des OPC a tendance à augmenter vers le bas, avec une plus forte variabilité dans les gabbros lités. Dans les gabbros lités, les OPC sont de plus en plus linéaires vers le bas, résultant possiblement d'un cisaillement plus fort induit par l'écoulement actif du manteau sous-jacent.La croûte inférieure dans le Wadi Gideah a enregistré une histoire compatible avec un modèle d'accrétion hydride, combinant plusieurs processus tels que l'écoulement magmatique vers le bas et/ou la migration de liquides magmatiques vers le haut dans les gabbros foliés supérieurs, l'intrusion de sills dans les gabbros lités, et une circulation hydrothermale profonde. Cette dernière était probablement concentrée dans des chenaux, préservés aujourd'hui sous la forme de plusieurs zones, dont l'épaisseur atteint 100 m, de gabbros lités fortement altérés, recoupant le litage magmatique. Ces métagabbros ont des rapports Sr87/Sr86 élevés, comportent des phases magmatiques tardives et montrent des évidences de fusion partielle.
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675

tel-01302675
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01302675/file/Th%C3%A8se_Tim-Mueller_2015.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
A comprehensive model for the activity of the elementary accretion segment at fast-spreading ridges relies on integration of structural data from the Oman ophiolite and geophysical results from the East Pacific Rise (EPR) around 9°N, which are of comparable size and spreading rates. The axial melt lens at shallow crustal level provides a link between Deval segmentation at the seafloor and a lower melt sill at Moho level, imaged at the EPR as a crustal melt zone (CMZ) and mapped in Oman as the Moho transition zone (MTZ). Both are attached to a mantle upwelling at the EPR, and to a frozen diapir in Oman. The physical link between diapiric mantle uprising at the Moho and Devals segmentation at the seafloor is the melt being injected from the mantle into the lower MTZ, ponding there, and then being released by powerful injections into the upper melt lens. The magma chamber covers the diapir at a distance of 5 km from the ridge axis.
ISSN: 0954-4879

hal-01171958
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01171958
DOI : 10.1111/ter.12137

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) is the most abundant magma on Earth, and provides a geochemical window into the mantle. Deriving mantle composition and melting processes from the erupted lavas requires correction to be made for their evolution as they pass through and generate the oceanic crust. This is typically done by assuming that modification of melts in crustal magma chambers occurs exclusively by fractional crystallisation. However, extensive mineral major- and trace element data from a full section of fast-spread lower crustal rocks exposed in Hess Deep (equatorial Pacific Ocean) demonstrate that their evolution is instead controlled by reactive porous flow. These reactions lead to a strong enrichment in, and fractionation of, incompatible trace elements in the melt (as recorded by clinopyroxene compositions), leading to melt compositions far outside of the compositional realm of MORB both in terms of trace element abundances and ratios. The reactive signature increases in strength up section, peaking in varitextured gabbros interpreted to represent the fossilised axial melt lens, indicating that reactive porous flow occurred on the scale of the entire lower crust. The enrichment of the melt is coupled with a strong trace element depletion of plagioclase, olivine, and, to a lesser extent, clinopyroxene cores, suggesting that these phases represent the residues of the reactions from which trace elements have been removed. The dominant role of reactive porous flow, and the resulting deviations from fractional crystallisation predictions, suggest that the lower oceanic crust plays a much more complex and significant role in modifying the compositions of MORB than previously expected, with consequent implications for models of mantle processes.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00814075
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00814075
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2012.11.012

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
The ODP/IODP multileg campaign at ODP Site 1256 (Cocos plate, eastern equatorial Pacific) provides the first continuous in situ sampling of fast spreading ocean crust from the extrusive lavas, through the sheeted dikes and down into the uppermost gabbros. This paper focuses on a detailed petrographic and microanalytical investigation of the gabbro section drilled during IODP Expedition 312. The marked patchy and spotty features that can be observed in many Hole 1256D gabbros is mostly due to a close association of two different lithological domains in variable amounts: (1) subophitic domains and (2) a granular matrix. Major and trace element mineral compositions, geothermometry, and petrological modeling suggest that subophitic and granular domains follow one single magma evolution trend formed by in situ fractionation. The subophitic domains correspond to the relative primitive, high-temperature end-member, compositionally similar to the basalts and dikes from the extrusive unit upsection, while the granular domains fit with a magma evolution by crystal fractionation to lower temperatures, up to a degree of crystallization of similar to 80%. Our results support the following scenario for the fossilization of the axial melt lens at ODP Site 1256: relatively primitive MORB melts under near-liquidus conditions fill the melt lens and feed the upper, extrusive crust. Near the melt lens-sheeted dike boundary at lower temperatures, crystallization starts with first plagioclase before clinopyroxene in a mushy zone forming the subophitic domains. At decreasing temperatures, the subophitic domains continue to crystallize, finally forming a well-connected framework. Evolved, residual melt is finally trapped within the subophitic network, crystallizing at near-solidus conditions to the granular matrix. Another important textural feature in Hole 1256D gabbros is the presence of microgranular domains which are interpreted as relics of stoped/assimilated sheeted dikes (transformed to "granoblastic dikes" by contact metamorphism). All these different domains can be observed in close association, often at the thin section scale, demonstrating the extremely complex petrological record of combined crystallization/assimilation processes ongoing in the axial melt lens. Very similar gabbros with a marked spotty/patchy appearance, and bearing the same close association of lithological domains as observed at Site 1256, are known in the so-called "varitextured gabbro" unit from the Oman Ophiolite located at the same structural level, between cumulate gabbros and granoblastic dikes. The close petrological similarity of the gabbro/dike transition between both IODP Hole 1256D and the Oman ophiolite suggests that in situ fractionation and dike assimilation/contamination are major magmatic processes controlling the dynamics and fossilization of the axial melt lens at fast spreading oceanic ridges.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00644798
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644798
DOI : 10.1029/2011GC003655

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
Microstructures and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of anorthosite samples interlayered in the upper and lower gabbro sections in the Oman ophiolite were analyzed in this paper. In the anorthosites registering the dynamics of the melt lenses, foliation is flat lying and starts to develop a few meters below the root zone of the sheeted dike complex (RZSDC). Microstructures and CPO of these rocks were developed in response to four different mechanisms: (1) density-controlled settling of plagioclase on the lens floor, (2) deposition of anorthosites related to convection currents, (3) melt compaction, and (4) uncompacted melt accumulation. In these anorthosites, the poles to (010) of plagioclase are parallel to the flow plane of convection, whereas the [100] axes and poles to (001) express the convection flow direction and the axis of convection rolls, respectively. The effect of subsidence of melt lens floor is recorded immediately below the RZSDC and is characterized by the rapid (but progressive) development of dipping foliation and lineation, reflecting the increase of deformation downsection. The degree of foliation and CPO development in the anorthosites is directly related to the distance of the center of the melt lenses before the subsidence starts. Despite the uncertain origin of the anorthosites from the lower gabbro section, all the samples lost the magmatic microstructural characteristics and presently are reequilibrated aggregates. However, they still preserve plagioclase CPO, where some of these patterns present similarities with the anorthosites from the upper gabbro section, but no evidence of intracrystalline deformation under high temperatures.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-00617446
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617446
DOI : 10.1029/2010TC002697

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : Mid-ocean ridges magmatism is, by and large, considered to be mostly dry. Nevertheless, numerous works in the last decade have shown that a hydrous component is likely to be involved in ocean ridges magmas genesis and/or evolution. The petrology and geochemistry of peculiar coarse grained gabbros sampled in the upper part of the gabbroic sequence from the northern Oman ophiolite (Wadi Rajmi) provide information on the origin and fate of hydrous melts in fast-spreading oceanic settings. Uncommon crystallization sequences for oceanic settings (clinopyroxene crystallizing before plagioclase), extreme mineral compositions (plagioclase An% up to 99, and clinopyroxene Mg # up to 96), and the presence of magmatic amphibole, imply the presence of a high water activity during crystallization. Various petrological and geochemical constraints point to hydration, resulting from the recycling of hydrothermal fluids. This recycling event may have occurred at the top of the axial magma chamber where assimilation of anatectic hydrous melts is recurrent along mid-ocean ridges or close to segments ends where fresh magma intrudes previously hydrothermally altered crust. In ophiolitic settings, hydration and remelting of hydrothermally altered rocks producing hydrous melts may also occur during the obduction process. Although dry magmatism dominates oceanic magmatism, the dynamic behavior of fast-spreading ocean ridge magma chambers has the potential to produce the observed hydrous melts (either in ophiolites or at spreading centers), which are thus part of the general mid-ocean ridges lineage.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00939400
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00939400
DOI : 10.1002/ggge.20137

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
ODP (Ocean Drilling Program)/IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program) Site 1256 is located on the Cocos Plate in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific Ocean, in a 15 Ma old oceanic lithosphere formed at the EPR during a period of superfast spreading (>200 mm/yr). ODP/IODP Hole 1256D reached for the first time the contact between sheeted dikes and underlying gabbros. It consequently offers a unique opportunity to study in situ, in present-day oceanic crust, the root zone of the sheeted dike complex. This root zone is a thin, 100 m thick boundary layer between the magmatic system (i.e., the axial melt lens, similar to 1100 degrees C), and the overlying high temperature hydrothermal system (<= 450 degrees C). The understanding of interactions within this boundary layer is critical to that of crustal processes along mid-ocean ridges.;This work focuses on the petrophysical characterization of the root zone of the sheeted dike complex in order to further constrain the hydrothermal circulation system in the vicinity of the axial melt lens, as recorded in non-granoblastic dikes, granoblastic dikes, and varitextured gabbros. The petrophysical properties were determined from sample measurements in the laboratory and were compared to in situ downhole geophysical probing. The porosity structure is bipolar, depending on lithology, resulting in a layered system. Non-granoblastic dikes are generally altered in the greenschist fades (similar to>250 degrees C) with relatively high and interconnected (cementation index m similar to 1.72, electrical tortuosity tau similar to 28.3) porosity (1.5%). In contrast, gabbros are retrogressively metamorphosed in the amphibolite (similar to>450 degrees C) and greenschist facies, with lower porosity (1.3%) that involves numerous fissures and cracks, resulting in a more connected medium (m similar to 1.58, tau similar to 11.8) than non-granoblastic dikes. These cracks are more abundant but also tend to close with increasing depth as indicated in downhole geophysical data. Porosity and alteration, as viewed from surface electrical conductivity, appear to be directly correlated.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00544556
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00544556
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2010.07.013

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley-Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
Search String Advanced > Saved Searches >ARTICLE TOOLS Get PDF (3653K) Save to My Profile E-mail Link to this Article Export Citation for this Article Get Citation Alerts Request PermissionsMore Sharing ServicesShare|Share on citeulikeShare on facebookShare on deliciousShare on www.mendeley.comShare on twitter Abstract Article References Cited ByView Full Article (HTML) Enhanced Article (HTML) Get PDF (3653K)AbstractFor the first time, the crystallized remnant of an oceanic ridge magma chamber is documented in the Oman ophiolite. It exists in the centre of a 40 km long monoclinal ridge (Jebel Dihm, Wadi Tayin massif), exposing a full crustal section perpendicular to the spreading direction. New detailed mapping supported by U-Pb zircon geochronology suggests that the active, fast-spreading ridge that died just prior to detachment of the ophiolite is preserved and largely intact. Our observations provide insights into the crystallizing mush zone of a magma chamber, before it crosses the external walls and solidifies as deformed gabbros. Our data provide new constraints on the shape and internal dynamics of a magma chamber, including gabbro subsidence from the floor of a perched melt lens and the limited contribution of sills to crustal accretion. By locating precisely the palaeo-ridge axis, prior full spreading rate estimates can be increased to ~140 km Ma−1.
ISSN: 0954-4879

hal-01121586
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01121586
DOI : 10.1111/ter.12130

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
At oceanic spreading centers, interactions between magma and hydrothermal convecting systems trigger major physical, thermal, and chemical exchanges. The two-pyroxene hornfels recovered from the base of the sheeted dike sequence at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site 1256 (equatorial Eastern Pacific) are interpreted as a conducting boundary layer between the underlying axial melt lens and the hydrothermally cooled sheeted dikes. They are cut by numerous small, felsic veins, which were recently interpreted as a product of hydrous partial melting of sheeted dikes. Here, we present trace element compositions of products (melts and residues) of hydrous partial melting experiments using basalts and hornfels from IODP Site 1256 as starting material. The experimental products generated between 910 °C and 970 °C match the natural lithologies from Site 1256 in terms of major and trace element compositions. The compositions of the anatectic melts correspond to the compositions of the felsic veins, while the residual minerals match the compositions of the two-pyroxene hornfels, evidencing that hydrous partial melting is an important magmatic process in the gabbro/dike transition of fast-spreading mid-oceanic ridges. Our results complement previous experimental studies on anatectic processes occurring at the roof of the magma chambers from fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges. Moreover, calculations of mixing and assimilation fractional crystallization using the experimental partial melts as contaminant/assimilant showed that anatectic melts can only be a minor contributor to the contamination process.
ISSN: 0024-4937

hal-01419949
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01419949
DOI : 10.1016/j.lithos.2016.05.001