Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
Giant earthquake (moment magnitude M-w >= 8.5) forecasts for subduction zones have been empirically related to both tectonic stresses and geometrical irregularities along the subduction interface. Both of these controls have been suggested as able to tune the ability of rupture to propagate laterally and, in turn, exert an important control on giant earthquake generation. Here we test these hypotheses, and their combined influence, by compiling a dataset of trench fill thickness (a proxy for smoothing of subducting plate relief by sediment input into the subduction channel) and upper plate strain (a proxy for the tectonic stresses applied to the subduction interface) for 44 segments of the global subduction network. We statistically compare relationships between upper plate strain, trench sediment thickness and maximal earthquake magnitude. We find that the combination of both large trench fill (>= 1 km) and neutral upper plate strain explains spatial patterns of giant earthquake occurrence to a statistically significant degree. In fact, the concert of these two factors is more highly correlated with giant earthquake occurrence than either factor on its own. Less frequent giant earthquakes of lower magnitude are also possible at subduction zones with thinner trench fill and compressive upper plate strain. Extensional upper plate strain and trench fill < 0.5 km appear to be unfavorable conditions, as giant earthquakes have not been observed in these geodynamical environments during the last 111 years. Citation: Heuret, A., C. P. Conrad, F. Funiciello, S. Lallemand, and L. Sandri (2012), Relation between subduction megathrust earthquakes, trench sediment thickness and upper plate strain, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L05304, doi: 10.1029/2011GL050712.
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00745636
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745636
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745636/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00745636/file/heuretGRL2012.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2011GL050712

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We develop a block model for the Aegean and surrounding areas, constrained by Global Positioning System (GPS), in order to investigate the degree of coupling on the Hellenic subduction interface (i.e., the fraction of the motion across the plate boundary accommodated by elastic strain accumulation). We use previously published models, and seismicity to define the geometry of the interface separating the down-going Nubian slab from the overriding Aegean. This model provides a good fit to the GPS observations; for the ∼200,000 km2 Aegean block the wrms of the residual velocities is 1.4 mm/yr for 80 GPS velocity estimates, approximately the 95% level of the GPS velocity uncertainties. We investigate the degree of coupling on the seismically active plate interface, the Hellenic trench splay fault (believed to be the source of the 365 AD Great Crete Earthquake and Tsunami), and the Kephalonia transform fault by comparing the modeled GPS residual velocity field for a range of coupling values. The GPS observations are almost insensitive to coupling on the Kephalonia transform fault, because of the vertical dip of the fault that creates interseismic deformation only close to the fault where few GPS sites exist. The absence of resolvable shortening of the leading edge of the Aegean Plate precludes coupling of more than 0.2 (20% of the full Nubia-Aegean convergence rate) on the modeled plate interface. Because of the shallow dip of the plate interface and trench splay fault, and high rate of convergence, if these boundaries were fully coupled, high elastic strain rates would be expected to extend well into the overriding Aegean plate. Based on our preferred value for the degree of coupling (0.1), and assuming characteristic earthquake behavior, we estimate a recurrence time for great earthquakes with slip similar to that for the 365 Crete event of 5700-8300 yr, consistent with the absence of subsequent great earthquakes on this segment of the subduction zone.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01053486
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01053486
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2013.10.018

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
At Cima di Gagnone, garnet peridotite and chlorite harzburgite lenses within pelitic schists and gneisses correspond to eclogite-facies breakdown products of hydrated peridotites and are suitable for studying dehydration of serpentinized mantle. Thermobarometry and pseudosection modelling yield peak temperatures of 750-850°C and pressures <3 GPa. The minimum temperature recorded by the garnet peridotite corresponds to the maximum conditions experienced by the chlorite harzburgite, suggesting that these rocks recrystallized cofacially at ∼800°C. Alternatively, they might have decoupled during subduction, as achieved in tectonically active plate interface boundaries. The major and rare earth element (REE) variability of the peridotites was mostly acquired during pre-subduction mantle evolution as a result of partial melting and reactive melt flow. The ultramafic suite is also characterized by fluid-mobile element enrichments (B, Pb, As, Sb, Cs, Li, U, Be), which confirm derivation from variably serpentinized protoliths. Similarity in the U, Pb, B, Li and Sr contents of the Gagnone peridotites to present-day oceanic serpentinites suggests that these elements were partly taken up during initial serpentinization by seawater-derived fluids. Positive Be, As and Sb anomalies suggest involvement of fluids equilibrated with crustal (metasedimentary) reservoirs during subsequent subduction metamorphism and peridotite entrainment in (meta)sediments. Fluid-mobile element enrichment characterizes all peak eclogitic minerals, implying that multiple hydration events and element influx pre-dated the eclogite-facies dehydration. Peak anhydrous minerals retain B, Li, As and Sb concentrations exceeding primitive mantle values and may introduce geochemical anomalies into the Earth's mantle. The relatively low contents of large ion lithophile elements and light REE in the Gagnone peridotites with respect to much higher enrichments shown by metasomatized garnet peridotite pods hosted in migmatites (Ulten Zone, Eastern Alps) suggest that the crustal rocks at Gagnone did not experience partial melting. The Gagnone garnet peridotite, despite showing evidence for chlorite dehydration, retains significant amounts of fluid-mobile elements documenting that no partial melting occurred upon chlorite breakdown. We propose that the Gagnone ultramafic rocks represent a prime example of multi-stage peridotite hydration and subsequent dehydration in a plate interface setting.
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-01054319
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01054319
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egt068

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
Large earthquakes nucleate at tectonic plate boundaries, and their occurrence within a plate's interior remains rare and poorly documented, especially offshore. The two large earthquakes that struck the northeastern Indian Ocean on 11 April 2012 are an exception: they are the largest strike-slip events reported in historical times1, 2 and triggered large aftershocks worldwide3. Yet they occurred within an intra-oceanic setting along the fossil fabric of the extinct Wharton basin, rather than on a discrete plate boundary4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Here we show that the 11 April 2012 twin earthquakes are part of a continuing boost of the intraplate deformation between India and Australia that followed the Aceh 2004 and Nias 2005 megathrust earthquakes, subsequent to a stress transfer process recognized at other subduction zones9, 10. Using Coulomb stress change calculations, we show that the coseismic slips of the Aceh and Nias earthquakes can promote oceanic left-lateral strike-slip earthquakes on pre-existing meridian-aligned fault planes. We further show that persistent viscous relaxation in the asthenospheric mantle several years after the Aceh megathrust explains the time lag between the 2004 megathrust and the 2012 intraplate events. On a short timescale, the 2012 events provide new evidence for the interplay between megathrusts at the subduction interface and intraplate deformation offshore. On a longer geological timescale, the Australian plate, driven by slab-pull forces at the Sunda trench, is detaching from the Indian plate, which is subjected to resisting forces at the Himalayan front6, 8, 11.
ISSN: 0028-0836

hal-00767569
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00767569
DOI : 10.1038/nature11520

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We analyze in this study a new set of marine data including 3D local tomography, 1992-2008 relocated earthquakes and two recent multichannel seismic lines to characterize the deformation style in the collision area offshore east Taiwan. We have mapped in detail the Mohos of the converging plates as well as the subduction interface with a resolution never reached before. We show that the sharp continental subduction of the Eurasia plate, beneath the middle part of the Central Range, indents the Philippine Sea plate (PSP) as attested by intra-oceanic slicing and incipient subduction of the PSP beneath the east coast of Taiwan. The westernmost part of the PSP slab is probably experiencing a beginning of break-off as attested by NW-trending en-échelon shear zones beneath the southern slope of the southern Ryukyu arc (SRA). These en-échelon shear zones have a sinistral component favored by the "collision-free" subduction of the PSP north of 24°30′N. The down-faulting of the subduction interface forms ramps along which earthquakes clusterize. Three M7 subduction earthquakes occurred offshore Suao city along these ramps with a recurrence interval of about 40 years: 1920 Mw7.7, 1963 Mw7.2 and 2002 Mw7.1 events. The 1966 Mw6.0-7.5 earthquakes sequence likely outlines a WNW-ESE left-lateral intra-slab shear zone. The SRA upper plate accommodates the complex geometry and deformation of the subducting PSP through seismic deformation. Shallow high velocities fringing the Luzon volcanic arc (LVA) beneath the Longitudinal Valley and north of the southernmost Ryukyu forearc basins are interpreted as relics of the LVA forearc basement squeezed in the collision zone. Based on the accommodation of a large part of the convergence through shortening within the PSP and the subsequent segmentation of the shallow subduction interface, we consider that the nucleation of a Mw ≥ 8 earthquake along the southernmost Ryukyu megathrust is unlikely.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00853365
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00853365
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00853365/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00853365/file/publallemandifremer.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2013.03.020

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Understanding subduction rheology in both space and time has been a challenge since the advent of plate tectonics. We herein focus on "subduction infancy", that is the first ~1-5 My immediately following subduction nucleation, when a newly born slab penetrates into the upper plate mantle and heats up. The only remnants of this critical yet elusive geodynamic step are thin metamorphic soles, commonly found beneath pristine, 100-1000 km long portions of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on continents (i.e., ophiolites).Through the (i) worldwide compilation of pressure-temperature conditions of metamorphic sole formation augmented by pseudosection thermodynamic modeling, (ii) calculations of the viscosity of materials along the plate interface and (iii) generic numerical thermal models, we provide a conceptual model of dynamic plate interface processes during subduction infancy (and initiation s.l.).We show in particular how major rheological switches across the subduction interface control slab penetration, and the formation of metamorphic soles. Due to the downward progression of hydration and weakening of the mantle wedge with cooling, the lower plate (basalt, sediment) and the upper plate (mantle wedge) rheologies equalize and switch over a restricted temperature-time-depth interval (e.g., at ~800°C and ~1 GPa, during 0.1-2 My, for high-temperature metamorphic sole formation). These switches result in episodes of maximum interplate mechanical coupling, thereby slicing the top of the slab and welding pieces (basalt, sediment) to the base of the mantle wedge. Similar mechanical processes likely apply for the later, deeper accretion and exhumation of high-temperature oceanic eclogites in serpentinite mélanges, or for the accretion of larger tectonic slices.This model provides constraints on the effective rheologies of the crust and mantle and general understanding, at both rock and plate scale, for accretion processes and early slab dynamics.
AGU Fall Meeting 2015
San Francisco, United States

insu-01242103
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01242103

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
Based on global earthquake catalogs, the hypocenters, nodal planes, and seismic moments of worldwide subduction plate interface earthquakes were extracted for the period between 1900 and 2007. Assuming that the seismogenic zone coincides with the distribution of 5.5 <= M < 7 earthquakes, the subduction interface seismogenic zones were mapped for 80% of the trench systems and characterized with geometrical and mechanical parameters. Using this database, correlations were isolated between significant parameters to identify cause-effect relationships. Empirical laws obtained in previous studies were revisited in light of this more complete, accurate, and uniform description of the subduction interface seismogenic zone. The seismogenic zone was usually found to end in a fore-arc mantle, rather than at a Moho depth. The subduction velocity was the first-order controlling parameter for variations in the physical characteristics of plate interfaces, determining both the geometry and mechanical behavior. As such, the fast subduction zones and cold slabs were associated with large and steep plate interfaces, which, in turn, had large seismic rates. The subduction velocity could not account for the potential earthquake magnitude diversity that was observed along the trenches. Events with M-w >= 8.5 preferentially occurred in the vicinity of slab edges, where the upper plate was continental and the back-arc strain was neutral. This observation was interpreted in terms of compressive normal stresses along the plate interface. Large lateral ruptures should be promoted in neutral subduction zones due to moderate compressive stresses along the plate interface that allow the rupture to propagate laterally.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00617681
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617681
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617681/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00617681/file/heuretG32011.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2010GC003230

Éditeur(s) : Soc Geol France
Résumé : The Lesser Antilles subduction zone has produced no recent strong thrust earthquakes, making it difficult to quantify the seismic hazard from such events. The Lesser Antilles arc has a low subduction rate and an accretionary wedge that is very wide at its southern end. To investigate the effect of the wedge on seismogenesis, numerical models of forearc thermal structure were constructed along six transects perpendicular to the arc in order to determine the thermally predicted width of the seismogenic zone. The geometry of each section is constrained by published seismic profiles and crustal models derived from gravity and seismic data and by earthquake hypocenters at depth. A major constraint on the deep part of the model is that mantle temperature beneath the volcanic arc should achieve a temperature of 1,100 degrees C to generate partial melts. Predicted surface heat flow is compared to the available heat flow observations. Thermal modeling results indicate a systematic southward increase in the width of the seismogenic zone, more than doubling in width from north to south and corresponding to a dramatic southward increase in forearc width (distance from the arc to the deformation front of the accretionary wedge). The minimum width of the seismogenic zone (distance between the intersections of the subduction interface with the 150 degrees C and 350 degrees C isotherms) increases from about 80 km, north of 16 degrees N, to 230 km, at 13 degrees N. The maximum width (between the 100 degrees C and 450 degrees C isotherms) ranges from about 150 km in the north to up to 320 km in the south. This large variation in the width of the seismogenic zone is a consequence of the increasing width of the accretionary wedge to the south, caused by the increased thickness of sediment on the subducting plate. There is good agreement between the thermally predicted seismogenic limits and the sparse distribution of recorded thrust earthquakes, which are observed only in the northern portion of the arc. Possible scenarios for mega-thrust earthquakes are discussed. Depending on the segment length (along-strike) of the rupture plane, the occurrence of an event of magnitude 8-9 cannot be excluded.
L’absence de grands séismes récents à mécanismes chevauchants dans la zone de subduction des Petites Antilles rend difficile l’évaluation de l’aléa sismique lié à de tels événements. L’arc des Petites Antilles est caractérisé par une faible vitesse de subduction et par la présence d’un prisme d’accrétion très développé à son extrémité méridionale. Afin d’évaluer les effets de la largeur de ce prisme sur la genèse des séismes, nous avons étudié six sections perpendiculaires à l’arc, du nord au sud de celui-ci, pour déterminer la largeur de la zone sismogène prédite par les modèles thermiques appliqués à chacune de ces coupes. La géométrie de ces dernières est contrainte par les profils sismiques publiés, par les modèles de structure crustale déduits des données gravitaires et sismiques, et enfin par la distribution des hypocentres des séismes. Un contrôle important permettant de tester la validité des modèles thermiques en profondeur est qu’une température minimale de 1 100oC, compatible avec la fusion partielle du manteau hydraté, doit être atteinte sous l’arc volcanique actif. Par ailleurs, le flux thermique en surface prédit par ces modèles doit être compatible avec les mesures de flux de chaleur. Les modèles thermiques retenus d’après ces critères montrent une augmentation du simple au double vers le sud de la largeur de la zone sismogène, qui correspond à un élargissement considérable de la taille du domaine avant-arc. En effet, la largeur minimale de la zone sismogène (définie comme la distance entre les intersections de l’interface des plaques avec les isothermes 150o et 350oC) augmente d’environ 80 km au nord de 16oN jusqu’à 230 km à 13oN. La largeur maximale de cette zone (définie par les intersections de l’interface avec les isothermes 100o et 450oC) augmente, quant à elle, d’environ 150 km au nord jusqu’à 320 km au sud de l’arc. Cette variation considérable est la conséquence de l’augmentation de la largeur du prisme d’accrétion, elle-même causée par l’accumulation croissante des sédiments déposés sur la plaque plongeante. Les largeurs de la zone sismogène prédites à l’aide des modèles thermiques sont en bon accord avec les rares données disponibles sur les séismes à mécanismes chevauchants dans la partie nord de l’arc. Les scénarios possibles relatifs à des méga-séismes de ce type n’excluent pas de futurs événements atteignant des magnitudes de 8 à 9.
Bulletin De La Societe Geologique De France (0037-9409) (Soc Geol France), 2013 , Vol. 184 , N. 1-2 , P. 47-59

Droits : 2013 Societe Geologique de France
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00140/25140/29432.pdf
DOI:10.2113/gssgfbull.184.1-2.47
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00140/25140/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Tectonic mixing of slab- and mantle-derived materials at the interface between converging plates highly enhances fluid-mediated mass transfer from the slab to the overlying mantle. Subduction mélanges can provide information about the interaction among different slices accreted at plate interface domains, with implications on the tectonic and geochemical evolution of the plate-interface itself. At Cima di Gagnone, pelitic schists and gneiss enclose chlorite harzburgite and garnet peridotite lenses, like in subduction mélanges located in-between downgoing slabs and overlying mantle. These peridotites host MORB-type eclogite and metarodingite, and derive from dehydration of serpentinized mantle protoliths. Their enrichment in fluid-mobile B, As, Sb, U, Th is the result of an early-stage oceanic serpentinization, followed by interaction with host metasediments during subduction burial. Here we define the element exchange process in the Gagnone mélange by means of the B, Sr and Pb isotope analysis of its main lithologies (ultramafic, mafic rocks and paragneiss). The 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios of ultramafic rocks (0.7090–0.7124 and 18.292–18.837, respectively) show enrichments in radiogenic Sr and Pb after exchange with the host paraschist (up to 0.7287 87Sr/86Sr; 18.751 206Pb/204Pb). The δ11B values of peridotites (down to −10‰) point to a combined effect of (1) 11B release to deserpentinization fluids (serpentinized protoliths likely had positive δ11B and lower radiogenic Sr, Pb), and of (2) exchange with fluids from the surrounding metasediments. The whole Gagnone rock-suite is finally overprinted by retrograde fluids that essentially bring to an increase in radiogenic Pb (about 19.0 206Pb/204Pb) and to values of 0.710 87Sr/86Sr and of −10‰ δ11B. The recognition of different stages of interaction between mantle rocks and sedimentary/crustal reservoirs allows us to define the geochemical effects related to the early coupling of such rocks along the plate-interface. Our study shows that ultramafic rocks involved in subduction-zone metamorphism and serpentinization uptake radiogenic Pb and Sr released by associated sedimentary reservoirs. The exchange process envisioned here is not only representative of subduction mélanges: it can also be a proxy of mass transfer between slab and serpentinized supra-subduction mantle, as occurs in forearcs. Dehydration of the Gagnone-type serpentinized mantle releases crust-derived components to arcs, without direct involvement of metasediment dehydration and/or melting in subarc environments. The retention of appreciable amounts of fluid-mobile elements, radiogenic Pb and Sr in dehydrated Gagnone peridotites has implications on element recycling in the deep Earth’s mantle.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01174137
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174137
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2015.04.024

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Understanding subduction rheology in both space and time has been a challenge since the advent of plate tectonics.We herein focus on "subduction infancy", which corresponds to the first 0-2 My immediately following subductionnucleation, when a newly born slab penetrates into the overriding plate mantle and heats up.The only remnants of this critical, yet elusive, geodynamic step are thin metamorphic soles, commonly found beneathpristine, 100-1000 km long portions of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on top of continents (i.e. ophiolites).In this study, we show how, during subduction infancy, transient mechanical properties of both the mantle and crustacross the subduction plate interface (during 100s ky) control and hinder the penetration of tectonic plates intothe mantle, and how this results in strong peaks of resistance and even slicing of their surface — leaving behindthin, chopped-off metamorphic slivers (i.e. metamorphic soles).These findings constrain the mechanical behaviour of the subduction plate interface (with implications for couplingprocesses and earthquake generation) as well as the properties of the crust and mantle. They also highlight the roleof fluids in enabling subduction to overcome this early resistance.
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vienne, Austria

insu-01309386
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01309386

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
New estimates of trench migration rates allow us to address the dynamics of trench migration and back-arc strain. We show that trench migration is primarily controlled by the subducting plate velocity V-sub, which largely depends on its age at the trench. Using the hot and weak arc to back-arc region as a strain sensor, we define neutral arcs characterized by the absence of significant strain, meaning places where the forces (slab pull, bending, and anchoring) almost balance along the interface between the plates. We show that neutral subduction zones satisfy the kinematic relation between trench and subducting plate absolute motions: V-t = 0.5V(sub) - 2.3 (in cm a(-1)) in the HS3 reference frame. Deformation occurs when the velocity combination deviates from kinematic equilibrium. Balancing the torque components of the forces acting at the trench indicates that stiff (old) subducting plates facilitate trench advance by resisting bending.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-00411731
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411731
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411731/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00411731/file/Lallemand2008-Tectonics.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2007TC002212

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Résumé : International audience
[1] The Pyrenees, north of the North Pyrenean fault, display a complex structure involving a succession of peridotite massifs, basement massifs, and mid-Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous basins located in a narrow domain, which was affected by a mid-Cretaceous, preorogenic, high-temperature, low-pressure metamorphism. The Late Cretaceous basins were interpreted either as pull-apart basins formed during transcurrent motion of Iberia relative to Eurasia or as remnants of a larger extensional basin. Recent models support that peridotite massifs result from the exhumation of the mantle during this preorogenic event. The northern boundary of the Agly basement massif shows evidence of ductile deformation of the basal formations of the Agly sedimentary cover. Macroscopic and microscopic kinematics indicators consistent with asymmetry of crystallographic fabrics suggest normal sense of shear and thus suggest detachment, at least partial, of the Mesozoic cover from its basement. Triassic to Early Cretaceous limestones are mylonitic and consistently shows a foliation, a NS- to NE-trending lineation, shear criteria suggesting top-to-the-north shearing and locally boudinage. At the microscopic scale, mylonites are characterized by a very fine grain size, frequently <10 µm. They contain larger, partially recrystallized calcite parent grains and undeformed quartz grains with calcite fringes crystallized in pressure shadows. In these mylonites, calcite systematically shows a weak but well-defined crystallographic-preferred orientations, suggesting HT dislocation creep combined to diffusion creep and possibly grain boundary sliding in the finest fraction of the mylonites. Paleotemperatures determined using Raman spectrometry suggest synkinematic temperature conditions in the range 340-390°C, in good agreement with observed microstructures and calcite CPO. The mylonitic fabric in Mesozoic limestones is folded by EW-trending Pyrenean folds north of the Agly basement massif, attesting that this fabric formed before the Pyrenean orogeny. These data consistently support preorogenic extension under medium-temperature conditions of the northern Agly massif and likely of the massif itself. Since simultaneously (~100 Ma) a mid-Cretaceous basin opened south of the basement massif, we suggest a model of preorogenic exhumation of the Agly massif in response to the regional extension associated to the rotation of Iberia. This model may explain the exhumation of the North Pyrenean massifs during a single preorogenic event that allowed the opening of extensional basins and the exhumation of the lithospheric mantle. All these structures being subsequently reworked during the Pyrenean orogeny.
ISSN: 0278-7407

hal-00852833
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00852833
DOI : 10.1002/tect.20015

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
We present evidence that GPS velocity estimates of plate motions and fault slip rates agree to within uncertainties with geologic estimates during the most recent phase of the geologic evolution of the E Mediterranean region (post-Late Miocene). On this basis, we use the GPS differential velocities to estimate the timing of initiation of the principal structures in NW Turkey, the N Aegean Sea, and central Greece, including, the Marmara Sea, the Gulfs of Evia (GoE) and Corinth (GoC). and the Kephalonia Transform fault (KTF). We interpret these ages to indicate that the North Anatolian fault propagated across the N Aegean, opening the GoE and GoC and initiating the KTF, during the past 1-4 Ma. We further suggest that Aegean extension that was earlier more distributed across the Aegean Basin became focused on this new fault system allowing the southern Aegean and Peloponnisos to translate SW with little internal deformation, as observed today with GPS. This change in tectonic configuration may account for the clear geologic evidence for crustal thinning throughout the S Aegean in apparent contradiction with low present-day strain rates. We further show that the low present-day strain rate along the southern edge of the Aegean micro-plate requires substantial aseismic slip along the plate interface below Crete, consistent with the low level of historic, subduction-type earthquakes along this segment of the subduction zone.
ISSN: 0040-1951

hal-00512634
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00512634
DOI : 10.1016/j.tecto.2009.05.027

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) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
No major earthquake occurred in North Chile since the 1877 Mw 8.6 subduction earthquake that produced a huge tsunami. However, geodetic measurements conducted over the last decade in this area show that the upper plate is actually deforming, which reveals some degree of locking on the subduction interface. This accumulation of elastic deformation is likely to be released in a future earthquake. Because of the long elapsed time since 1877 and the rapid accumulation of deformation (thought to be 6-7 cm yr−1), many consider this area is a mature seismic gap where a major earthquake is due and seismic hazard is high. We present a new Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity field, acquired between 2008 and 2012, that describes in some detail the interseismic deformation between 18°S and 24°S. We invert for coupling distribution on the Nazca-South America subduction interface using elastic modelling. Our measurements require that, at these latitudes, 10 to 12 mm yr−1 (i.e. 15 per cent of the whole convergence rate) are accommodated by the clockwise rotation of an Andean block bounded to the East by the subandean fold-and-thrust belt. This reduces the accumulation rate on the subduction interface to 56 mm yr−1 in this area. Coupling variations on the subduction interface both along-strike and along-dip are described. We find that the North Chile seismic gap is segmented in at least two highly locked segments bounded by narrow areas of weak coupling. This coupling segmentation is consistent with our knowledge of the historical ruptures and of the instrumental seismicity of the region. Intersegment zones (Iquique, Mejillones) correlate with high background seismic rate and local tectonic complexities on the upper or downgoing plates. The rupture of either the Paranal or the Loa segment alone could easily produce a Mw 8.0-8.3 rupture, and we propose that the Loa segment (from 22.5°S to 20.8°S) may be the one that ruptured in 1877.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00941279
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00941279
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggt183

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Recent geochemical work shows that subduction-zone serpentinites are repositories for fluid-mobile elements absorbed during interaction with sediment-derived fluids. Unraveling the geochemical fingerprint of these rocks helps to define timing of tectonic accretion of sediments along the subduction interface and the role of serpentinite in element recycling to volcanic arcs. Here we present the trace element and isotopic composition (B–O–H, Sr, Pb) of high-pressure serpentinites from the Voltri Massif (Ligurian Western Alps, Italy), to discuss their role as incompatible element carriers and their contribution to recycling of sediment-derived components in subduction zones.The serpentinites presented here record metamorphic olivine growth during eclogite-facies metamorphism and show undeformed and mylonitic textures. Field relations show that undeformed rocks are enclosed in deformed ones and that no metasedimentary rocks are present nearby. Undeformed serpentinite has very high δ11BSRM951 (from +26‰ to +30‰), low Sr and Pb isotope ratios (87Sr/86Sr = 0.7053–0.7069; 206Pb/204Pb = 18.131–18.205) and low As and Sb contents (0.1 and 0.01 μg/g, respectively). Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions are +4.5‰ and −67‰, respectively. In contrast, mylonitic serpentinite shows lower δ11B (from +22‰ to +17‰), significant enrichment in radiogenic Sr and Pb isotopes (87Sr/86Sr up to 0.7105; 206Pb/204Pb up to 18.725), and enrichment in As and Sb (1.3 and 0.39 μg/g, respectively). δ18O of the mylonitic serpentinites reaches values of +5.9‰, whereas δD is comparable with that of undeformed rocks (approximately −70‰). In mylonitic serpentinites, the B and Sr isotopic values and the fluid-mobile element (FME) concentrations are near those for the Voltri metasedimentary rocks (calc- and mica-schists). Pb systematics also reveal influx of a crust-derived component.Our dataset shows that undeformed serpentinite still preserves an oceanic geochemical fingerprint, whereas mylonitic serpentinite is reset in its concentrations of FME and its B, Sr and Pb isotope compositions, due to interaction with sediment- and crust-derived fluids. The environment of this interaction is either compatible with (i) an outer-rise zone setting, with percolation of seawater-derived fluids enriched in sedimentary components into bending-related fault structures, or with (ii) subduction channel domains, where ascending sediment-derived slab fluids infiltrate slices of former oceanic serpentinite accreted to the plate interface domain. Influx of sediment-derived subduction fluids along major deformation zones in serpentinite modifies the element budget of the rocks, with important implications for element recycling and the tectonic history of serpentinite. The B, Sr and Pb isotopic systematics, coupled with FME concentration in serpentinites are particularly helpful geochemical tracers of interaction between different reservoirs in subduction-interface environments, and are more sensitive than the traditionally applied stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions.
ISSN: 0016-7037

hal-01419940
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01419940
DOI : 10.1016/j.gca.2016.06.034

Résumé : L’objet de cette thèse est l’étude des comportements mécanique et à la corrosion d’un nouveau système de fondation, dit pieux SPIRMEC, adapté aux structures légères. Le travail s’est focalisé sur deux grands aspects. Le premier aspect concerne l’analyse du comportement sous chargement axiale des pieux SPIRMEC sur la base de l’expérimentation et de la modélisation numérique dans un sol mou non cohésif. Quant au deuxième aspect, il traite du problème de la corrosion de l’acier constituant le pieu dans un environnement tropical humide. Le comportement des pieux SPIRMEC sous une charge axiale de traction, dans un sol fin non cohésif, a montré le développement d’une surface cylindrique de rupture. Celle-ci ne dépend pas de la configuration géométrique des pieux tel que : l’espacement S, le diamètre d’hélice Dh et le diamètre du tube d. En adoptant ce critère de rupture et à l’aide d’une analyse statistique des données, nous avons proposé quatre méthodes analytiques de prédiction de la capacité portante des pieux SPIRMEC à partir des essais in-situ et au laboratoire qui sont: •Méthode CPT basée sur la résistance de pointe pénétromètrique (essai CPT), •Méthode MPT basée sur la pression limite pressiomètrique (essai MPT), •Méthode du couple d’installation, •Méthode analytique basée sur les paramètres de cisaillement de sol notamment l’angle de frottement interne (essais triaxial et boîte de cisaillement). Ces méthodes tiennent compte de la géométrie du pieu, du procédé de mise en oeuvre et de la compacité du sol. L’analyse de performance des méthodes proposées a montré que les méthodes analytique et CPT représentent mieux le comportement des pieux testés. La modélisation numérique du comportement des pieux SPIRMEC sous charge axiale de traction a été également étudiée à l’aide du code de calcul Plaxis 2D. Un modèle axisymétrique a été adopté pour modéliser la géométrie de la structure. Le modèle de comportement hardening soil a été retenu pour modéliser le comportement élastoplastiq des couches de sol. Un modèle élastique linéaire a été retenu pour le pieu. Quant au comportement de l’interface sol-structure, il a été pris en compte par un modèle élastoplastique basé sur les critères de Mohr-Coulomb. L’expansion du sol résultant de l’installation des pieux a été approchée par une cavité cylindrique. Cette dernière a été modélisée par des déformations volumiques anisotropes. Nous avons constaté, qu’appliquer une déformation volumique de l’ordre de 40% permet une bonne concordance entre les résultats numériques et expérimentaux. L’étude paramétrique nous a également permis de constater l’existence d’une variation linéaire entre la capacité portante et l’espacement S. Le comportement de l’acier galvanisé dans le sol a été également étudié au moyen de trois approches: électrochimique, visuelles grâce au microscope électronique et gravimétrique. Les tests électrochimiques de corrosion du zinc ont été réalisés dans la solution de sol artificielle pour deux périodes bien distinctes : saison des pluies et après 8 mois de contact sol-pieu. Une forte dépendance est constatée de la vitesse de corrosion de zinc au pH et à la conductivité de la solution. La vitesse de corrosion est plus importante en saison des pluies qu’après 8 mois de contact de pieu avec le sol. Les fortes concentrations en sulfates semblent augmenter la vitesse de corrosion. Les analyses menées au MEB montrent que la zone de fluctuation de nappe et en surface externe (sol/air) sont les zones les plus corrodées. La comparaison entre les différentes techniques d’évaluation de la vitesse de corrosion a montré que l’eau de nappe peut être utilisée comme un milieu représentatif du profil chimique d’un sol non cohésif et légèrement granulaire.
The purpose of this thesis is to study the both behaviors mechanical and of the corrosion of a new foundation system, called spirec piles, for lightweight structures. The work was based on two main aspects. The first aspect concerns the analysis of behavior of the spirmec piles under axial loading on the basis of experimental and numerical modeling in a non-cohesive soft soil. On the second aspect, it addresses the problem of corrosion of steel forming the pile in a humid tropical environment. The behavior of the tested piles under axial traction load, in a non-cohesive soil, showed the development of a cylindrical surface of failure. This does not depend on the geometrical configuration of the tested piles such that: the spacing s, the helix diameter dh and the diameter of the shaft. By adopting this failure criterion and using statistical data analysis, we proposed four analytical methods for predicting the bearing capacity of the piles from in-situ and laboratory tests, which are: cpt method based on tip resistance penetrometer (cpt test), mpt method based on pressuremeter limit pressure (test mpt), method of installation torque and analytical method based on the shear parameters of soil (triaxial tests and shear box). These methods take into account the geometry of the pile, the method and implementation of soil compaction. Performance analysis of the proposed methods showed that the analytical methods and cpt represent better the behavior of piles tested. An axisymmetric condition was assumed to model this geometry in two-dimensional space. In this study, we proposed to model the pipe screw pile with plates elements available in plaxis 2d. The helixes were modeled as circular disks. Interface elements were incorporated along the pile to simulate the soil-pile interaction. Hardening soil model was chosen to describe the soil with drained behavior was assigned for all layers. Linear elastic for pile and elastic plastic model based on the mohr-coulomb criterion was used to describe the interface behavior. The lateral expansion generated by the pile shaft was modeled by anisotropic volumetric strains (ɛxx=ɛzz, ɛyy=0). The pile behavior under tensile loading at different volumetric strains, it is clear that the best fit was obtained at volumetric strain of 40%. The parametric study also allowed us to establish the existence of a linear variation between the bearing capacity and spacings. The behavior of the galvanized steel in the ground has also been studied using three approaches such as: electrochemical, microscopic imaging and gravimetrically. Electrochemical tests of the corrosion of the zinc have been made in artificial soil solution into two periods, the rainy season and after eight months of contact soil-pile. Is a strong dependence of the observed corrosion rate of the zinc at the ph and conductivity of the solution. The corrosion rate is higher in the rainy season compared to eight months of contact of the pile with soil. High sulfate concentrations increase the rate of corrosion. The meb analysis shows that the fluctuation zone of the water table is the most corroded area. Comparison between the different methods of evaluating the corrosion rate showed that the ground water may be used as a representative profile of the chemical environment of a non-cohesive soil and slightly granular.

http://www.theses.fr/2014AGUY0790/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Subduction infancy corresponds to the first few million years following subduction initiation, when slabs start their descent into the mantle. It coincides with the transient (yet systematic) transfer of material from the top of the slab to the upper plate, as witnessed by metamorphic soles welded beneath obducted ophiolites. Combining structure–lithology–pressure–temperature–time data from metamorphic soles with flow laws derived from experimental rock mechanics, this study highlights two main successive rheological switches across the subduction interface (mantle wedge vs. basalts, then mantle wedge vs. sediments; at ∼800 °C and ∼600 °C, respectively), during which interplate mechanical coupling is maximized by the existence of transiently similar rheologies across the plate contact. We propose that these rheological switches hinder slab penetration and are responsible for slicing the top of the slab and welding crustal pieces (high- then low-temperature metamorphic soles) to the base of the mantle wedge during subduction infancy. This mechanism has implications for the rheological properties of the crust and mantle (and for transient episodes of accretion/exhumation of HP-LT rocks in mature subduction systems) and highlights the role of fluids in enabling subduction to overcome the early resistance to slab penetration.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01383368
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01383368/file/Agard_2016_Plate_interface.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2016.06.054

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The present study aims at better deciphering the different mechanisms involved in the functioning of the subduction interplate. A 2D thermo-mechanical model is used to simulate a subduction channel, made of oceanic crust, free to evolve. Convergence at constant rate is imposed under a 100 km thick upper plate. Pseudo-brittle and non-Newtonian behaviours are modelled. The influence of the subduction channel strength, parameterized by the difference in activation energy between crust and mantle () is investigated to examine in detail the variations in depth of the subduction plane down-dip extent, . First, simulations show that numerical resolution may be responsible for an artificial and significant shallowing of if the weak crustal layer is not correctly resolved. Second, if the age of the subducting plate is 100 Myr, subduction occurs for any . The stiffer the crust is, that is, the lower is, the shallower is (60 km depth if kJ/mol) and the hotter the fore-arc base is. Conversely, imposing a very weak subduction channel ( J/mol) leads there to an extreme mantle wedge cooling and inhibits mantle melting in wet conditions. Partial kinematic coupling at the fore-arc base occurs if kJ/mol. If the incoming plate is 20 Myr old, subduction can occur under the conditions that the crust is either stiff and denser than the mantle, or weak and buoyant. In the latter condition, cold crust plumes rise from the subduction channel and ascend through the upper lithosphere, triggering (1) partial kinematic coupling under the fore-arc, (2) fore-arc lithosphere cooling, and (3) partial or complete hindrance of wet mantle melting. then ranges from 50 to more than 250 km depth and is time-dependent if crust plumes form. Finally, subduction plane dynamics is intimately linked to the regime of subduction-induced corner flow. Two different intervals of are underlined: 80–120 kJ/mol to reproduce the range of slab surface temperature inferred from geothermometry, and 10–40 kJ/mol to reproduce the shallow hot mantle wedge core inferred from conditions of last equilibration of near-primary arc magmas and seismic tomographies. Therefore, an extra process controlling mantle wedge dynamics is needed to satisfy simultaneously the aforementioned observations. A mantle viscosity reduction, by a factor 4–20, caused by metasomatism in the mantle wedge is proposed. From these results, I conclude that the subduction channel down-dip extent, , should depend on the subduction setting, to be consistent with the observed variability of sub-arc depths of the subducting plate surface.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-01623155
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01623155
DOI : 10.1016/j.pepi.2017.05.008

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Metamorphic soles correspond to m to 500m thick tectonic slices welded beneath most of the large-scale ophiolites.They typically show a steep inverted metamorphic structure where the pressure and temperature conditions ofcrystallization increase upward (from 500100ºC at 0.50.2 GPa to 800100ºC at 1.00.2 GPa), with isogradssubparallel to the contact with the overlying ophiolitic peridotite. The proportion of mafic rocks in metamorphicsoles also increases from the bottom (meta-sediments rich) to the top (approaching the ophiolite peridotites). Thesesoles are interpreted as the result of heat transfer from the incipient mantle wedge toward the nascent slab (associatedwith large-scale fluid transfer and possible shear heating) during the first My of intra-oceanic subduction(as indicated by radiometric ages). Metamorphic soles provide therefore major constraints on early subductiondynamics (i.e. thermal structure, fluid migration and rheology along the nascent slab interface).We present a detailed structural and petrological study of the metamorphic sole from 4 major cross-sections alongthe Oman ophiolite. We show precise pressure–temperature estimates obtained by pseudosection modelling andEBSD measurements performed on both the garnet-bearing and garnet-free high-grade sole. Results allow quantificationof the micro-scale deformation and highlight differences in pressure–temperature–deformation conditionsbetween the 4 different locations, showing that the inverted metamorphic gradient through the sole is not continuousin all locations.Based on these new constraints, we suggest a new tectonic–petrological model for the formation of metamorphicsoles below ophiolites. This model involves the stacking of several homogeneous slivers of oceanic crust leadingto the present-day structure of the sole. In this view, these thrusts are the result of rheological contrasts between thesole and the peridotite as the plate interface progressively cools down. These slivers later underwent several stagesof retrogression (partly mediated by ascending fluids from the slab) from amphibolite- to prehnite/pumpellite-faciesconditions.
Geophysical Research Abstracts
Vienne, Austria

insu-01309369
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01309369