Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
The mantle above a subducting slab is the site of complex interactions between deformation, partial melting, fluid migration and magma transport. To constrain these interactions and their effects on olivine deformation, we analyze microstructures, crystal preferred orientations, and water contents of peridotite xenoliths entrained by andesites of the Avacha volcano, southern Kamchatka arc. These xenoliths are refractory spinel harzburgites that have coarse-grained microstructures with widely spaced subgrain boundaries and sinuous grain boundaries in olivine, consistent with deformation by dislocation creep under low deviatoric stress (< 13 MPa) and with a significant contribution from diffusional processes. Analysis of crystal preferred orientations (CPO) indicates dominant activation of high-temperature, low-stress {0kl}[100] slip systems in olivine and of(100)[001] in orthopyroxene. In most samples, coarse opx crystals, elongated parallel to the lineation, enclose small olivine grains in crystallographic continuity with neighbouring crystals, indicating crystallization of orthopyroxene at the expense of olivine as a result of reactive percolation of Si-rich fluids coeval with the high-temperature deformation. Secondary crystallization of interstitial orthopyroxene led locally to development of opx-rich lenses parallel to the foliation, characterized by a decrease in olivine grain size and dispersion of the olivine CPO without changing the dominant slip systems. Half of the samples also show acicular orthopyroxene aggregates with which is associated a fine-grained matrix composed of rounded strain-free olivine, orthopyroxene, spinel, and rare amphibole crystals. This matrix occurs pervasively along grain boundaries or forms millimeter-scale irregular lenses and anastomosing veinlets that crosscut the coarse crystals and their ductile deformation structures. Both acicular orthopyroxene and the fine-grained matrix are interpreted as resulting from reactive transport of H2O-rich fluids under static conditions, probably in the lithospheric mantle. Infrared analyses show that olivine contains 1-8 center dot 6 ppm by weight of water. These low water contents are similar to those observed in spinel peridotites from other subduction zones and probably record both the low solubility of water in olivine at low pressure and dehydration during exhumation of the xenoliths. Water contents in orthopyroxene are highly variable (25-506 ppm H2O), probably recording spatially heterogeneous interaction with fluids or melts and compositional disequilibrium in the studied samples. Change in the dominant percolation mechanism from porous flow to fracturing suggests cooling, consistent with the low temperatures estimated from pyroxene thermometry (< 800-900 degrees C). The Avacha xenoliths therefore record pervasive deformation of a region of the mantle under asthenospheric conditions, followed by its accretion to the base of the lithosphere, probably as a result of cooling of the mantle wedge. Percolation of Si-rich fluids or hydrous melts is recorded at all stages; this probably enhanced diffusion and lowered deviatoric stresses during ductile deformation, but did not change the dominant slip direction in olivine from [100] to [001].
ISSN: 0022-3530

hal-00456053
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00456053
DOI : 10.1093/petrology/egp085

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Taylor & Francis
Résumé : New structural data and P-T estimates of syn-deformational assemblages within the Beni Bousera peridotites and their crustal envelope are used to explain their Alpine exhumation. The Beni Bousera peridotites occur as thin sheets within high grade crustal units of the lower Sebtides (inner Rif, Morocco) and are composed of weakly deformed spinel lherzolite in the core of the massif and garnet-spinel mylonite at the rim. The main foliation trajectories in both the peridotites and overlying crustal units show systematic rotation towards their mutual contact, indicating a kilometer-scale top to the NW shearing with a dextral component along this crust/mantle contact. Widespread top to the NW shear criteria within the crustal units overlying the peridotite support this feature. Available ages constrain the development of the main foliation in both the peridotites and crustal rocks between 25 and 20 Ma. New P-T data from the peridotites show that deformation occurs during decompression from approximate to 22 kbar, 1050 degrees C to approximate to 9-15 kbar, 800 degrees C. As a consequence, exhumation of the Beni Bousera peridotites takes place during the Oligo-Miocene lithosphere thinning in the footwall of a lithospheric extensional shear zone. The exceptional preservation of garnet within the mylonitic peridotites results from rapid cooling of the border of the massif due to the juxtaposition with colder crustal rocks along this shear zone. Uplifting of the hot mantle rocks simultaneously induces high temperature metamorphism in the overlying crustal units. These new findings allow us to reconstruct the deformation history of the Beni Bousera region and the Alboran domain in the framework of the western Mediterranean geodynamics during the last 40 Myrs.. (C) 2011 Lavoisier SAS. All rights reserved
ISSN: 0985-3111

hal-00767654
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00767654
DOI : 10.3166/ga.24.49-60

Éditeur(s) : American Geophysical Union
Résumé : We use seismic reflection and rock sample data to propose that the first-order physiography of New Caledonia Trough and Norfolk Ridge formed in Eocene and Oligocene time and was associated with the onset of subduction and back-arc spreading at the Australia-Pacific plate boundary. Our tectonic model involves an initial Cretaceous rift that is strongly modified by Cenozoic subduction initiation. Hence, we are able to explain (1) complex sedimentary basins of inferred Mesozoic age; (2) a prominent unconformity and onlap surface of middle Eocene to early Miocene age at the base of flat-lying sediments beneath the axis of New Caledonia Trough; (3) gently dipping, variable thickness, and locally deformed Late Cretaceous strata along the margins of the trough; (4) platform morphology and unconformities on either side of the trough that indicate a phase of late Eocene to early Miocene uplift to near sea level, followed by rapid Oligocene and Miocene subsidence of similar to 1100-1800 m; and (5) seismic reflection facies tied to boreholes that suggest absolute tectonic subsidence at the southern end of New Caledonia Trough by 1800-2200 m since Eocene time. The Cenozoic part of the model involves delamination and subduction initiation followed by rapid foundering and rollback of the slab. This created a deep (>2 km) enclosed oceanic trough, similar to 2000 km long and 200-300 km across, in Eocene and Oligocene time as the lower crust detached, with simultaneous uplift and local land development along basin flanks. Disruption of Late Cretaceous and Paleogene strata was minimal during this Cenozoic phase and involved only subtle tilting and local reverse faulting or folding. Basin formation was possible through the action of at least one detachment fault that allowed the lower crust to either be subducted into the mantle or exhumed eastward into Norfolk Basin. We suggest that delamination of the lithosphere, with possible mixing of the lower crust back into the mantle, is more widespread than previously thought and may be commonly associated with subduction initiation, such as Cenozoic events in the Mediterranean and western Pacific.
Tectonics (0278-7407) (American Geophysical Union), 2010-03 , Vol. 29 , N. TC2004 , P. 1-16

Droits : Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00001/11271/9283.pdf
DOI:10.1029/2009TC002476
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00001/11271/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag (Germany) Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
We report here U-series and trace element data for an olivine-melilitite lava flow, erupted in 1957 in the Virunga volcanic field and known as the Mugogo eruption. Petrological and geochemical data show that the Mugogo magma represents a primary mantle melt, derived from a low degree of melting of a metasomatised mantle source. It is highly enriched in very incompatible trace elements (e.g. more than 300-fold compared to primitive mantle for Th), with a distinctly lower enrichment in Rb, Ba and Sr. The high Th/U and low (230Th/232Th) ratios (4.4 and 0.750, respectively, with a (230Th/238U) ratio of 1.09) are close to the values found for the Nyamuragira basanites. But the most striking feature is the very low (226Ra/230Th) ratio of 0.48, the lowest ever measured in a mafic volcanic rock. The most probable origin of this Ra deficit is the presence of phlogopite (having a high Ra partition coefficient) in the lithospheric mantle, either as a residual phase during low-degree isobaric melting (in batch-melting or a diffusion-controlled melting models), or in a phlogopite-bearing upper mantle through which the melt migrates and equilibrates (in an equilibrium porous flow model commonly used to describe adiabatic melting). The disequilibrium pattern (230Th) > (238U) > (210Pb) ≫ (226Ra), reversed compared to the pattern observed in the Oldoinyo Lengai natrocarbonatite, suggests that a carbonatite melt might have been involved to explain the Ra deficit. We thus discuss the possibility of an early separation of a Ra-enriched carbonate melt either from the olivine-melilitite melt or from a carbonated mantle source, followed by the production of a low-degree melt of olivine-melilitite composition, but the lack of available experimental, petrological and geochemical evidences makes this process somewhat speculative at present. Further studies of recent (<5 ky) olivine-melilitites are needed to check whether the large Ra deficit is a general characteristic of this type of magma that can be used to constrain models of its formation.
ISSN: 0010-7999

hal-01174173
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01174173
DOI : 10.1007/s00410-015-1124-9

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
To quantify the relationships between anisotropy. S-wave splitting and tectonics, we determined the seismic properties of lower-crustal and upper-mantle rocks outcropping in the lvrea Zone (Northem Italy). We obtained P-and S-wave seismic velocities by laboratory direct velocity measurements and/or by calculations based on the modal compositions of the rocks, the lattice preferred orientations (LPOs), and the single crystal stiffness coefficients. Measured P-and S-wave velocities (6.0-7 .5 km s-1 and 3.6-4.2 km s-1) are typical of the lower crust. The P-wave anisotropy is in the range 0-l 0%. Shear-wave birefringence is in the range 0.0-0.6 km s-1 , with typical values between 0.0 and 0.2 km s-1 • In many cases, the birefringence is clearly related to fabric elements (foliation, lineation). Mafic rocks such as anorthosite or pyroxene-bearing gabbros exhibit low P-wave anisotropies (< 5%) and low shear-wave birefringences (less than 0.1 km s-1). In contrast, the seismic properties of felsic rocks such as biotite-bearing gneisses and mafic rocks such as amphibolites display high V P anisotropy (10%) and strong birefringence (0.3 km s-1). Biotite and amphibole preferred orientations clearly control seismic anisotropy and particularly shear-wave splitting. In these rocks, maximum splitting is observed in directions parallel to the foliation with the fast split shear wave polarized parallel to the foliation plane. To have an overview of the seismic properties of this lower-crustal section at a broader scale, we calculated from our data the anisotropie seismic properties of several hypothetical samples that are perhaps more representative of the regional anisotropy than each sample individually. For instance, the average lower-crustal sample displays an anisotropy of 5.5% for P waves and a birefringence around 0.14 km s I for S waves propagating parallel to the foliation. We observe little splitting for waves propagating at high angle to the foliation.
ISSN: 0031-9201

hal-01389712
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389712
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389712/document
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01389712/file/Barruol_Kern-PEPI96_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/0031-9201(95)03124-3

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
This work presents seismic properties derived from a detailed microstructural study of supra-subduction mantle xenoliths extracted by the active Avacha volcano in the southern Kamchatka arc. These peridotites underwent low-stress deformation and syn- to late-kinematic reactive percolation of hydrous melts or fluids leading to local orthopyroxene enrichment and dispersion of the olivine CPO in the shallow mantle wedge. All samples show an axial [ 100] olivine CPO implying fast S-wave polarization parallel to the flow direction in the mantle. Orthopyroxene-enrichment by reactive fluids/melts percolation lowers the Vp/Vs ratio, but cannot explain the Vp/Vs ratios <1.7 mapped in the Japan and Andes forearc mantle. These low Vp/Vs ratios may however be explained by considering the intrinsic anisotropy of the peridotites.
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00512636
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00512636
DOI : 10.1029/2010GL043450

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Ocean Drilling Programm
Résumé : This paper provides a summary of postcruise scientific results from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 209 available to date, building upon shipboard observations and syntheses summarized in the Leg 209 Initial Results volume. During Leg 209, 19 holes were drilled at 8 sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from 14°43´ to 15°44´N, mainly in residual mantle peridotite intruded by gabbroic rocks, in order to understand the tectonic and structural processes responsible for formation of oceanic lithosphere with abundant residual peridotite exposed on the seafloor coupled with a relatively low proportion of volcanic rocks. Based on proportions of recovered lithologies, the entire area may be underlain by mantle peridotite with ~20%–40% gabbroic intrusions and impregnations. Impregnated peridotites with olivine + two pyroxenes + plagioclase + spinel that apparently formed in equilibrium probably record crystallization from primitive mid-ocean-ridge basalt at pressures of 0.5–0.6 GPa. Metamorphic equilibria record isobaric cooling to ~1100°C at this pressure. Thus, the conductively cooled thermal boundary layer beneath the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in this region is >15 km thick. Combined crystallization and reaction with residual peridotite formed a series of impregnated peridotites recording increasing Na content at nearly constant Mg#; this process could explain some of the variation in fractionation-corrected Na (e.g., Na = 8.0) observed in mid-ocean-ridge basalts. Clinopyroxene textures and compositions record such impregnation processes, and they are particularly well documented for Site 1274. Other Leg 209 gabbroic rocks formed from extensive crystallization of highly evolved melts, indicating that a substantial proportion of melt entering the thermal boundary layer crystallizes entirely beneath the seafloor, with no volcanic equivalent. Alteration of peridotites occurred over a range of temperatures and is the result of three distinct processes: rock-dominated serpentinization with formation of brucite in olivine-rich lithologies, fluid-dominated serpentinization with formation of magnetite and no brucite, and fluid-dominated talc alteration with addition of SiO2 as well as H2O and oxygen. The latter two processes also exhibit detectable trace element metasomatism that is distinct in its character from the igneous impregnation described in the previous paragraph. Microstructures show that most residual peridotites were not ductilely deformed at temperatures less than ~1200°C. Structural and paleomagnetic data require tectonic rotations of relatively undeformed blocks; some rotations probably exceeded 60° around nearly horizontal axes parallel to the rift axis. Rotations occurred along several generations of high-temperature mylonitic shear zones extending deeper than 15 km depth and numerous faults at lower temperature. Early formed shear zones and faults were passively rotated around later features; such a process could have produced low-angle fault surfaces without slip on low-angle faults. This region provides end-member examples of processes that are common at many or most slow-spreading ridges. Osmium isotope ratios indicate an ancient history of depletion for residual peridotites from the 14°–16°N region along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Though depleted Os isotope ratios in peridotite have been reported elsewhere along the global ridge system, the values from this region are among the most depleted. In general, Os isotope ratios from mid-ocean-ridge basalts are systematically more radiogenic than Os isotope ratios from ridge peridotite samples, suggesting a polygenetic heterogeneous source for mid-ocean-ridge basalts. Geochemical studies of zircons from Leg 209 gabbroic rocks and impregnated peridotites, together with other ridge and arc-related zircons, indicate that ridge zircons have systematically lower fractionation-corrected U and Th concentrations compared to arc zircons. This observation provides a tool for interpreting the tectonic provenance of ancient detrital zircons and indicates an arclike provenance for Hadean detrital zircons. Geobiological studies and aerobiological studies were also undertaken during Leg 209. The geobiological work found no measurable microbial enhancement of olivine dissolution rate, possibly because the samples from Leg 209 were sterile. The aerobiological study determined that dust from North Africa, collected from the derrick of the JOIDES Resolution during Leg 209, contains a variety of abundant microorganisms.
Proceedings ODP, scientific results, 209

hal-00407966
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407966
DOI : 10.2973/odp.proc.sr.209.001.2007

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Rifting in a cratonic lithosphere is strongly controlled by several interacting processes including crust/mantle rheology, magmatism, inherited structure and stress regime. In order to better understand how these physical parameters interact, a 2 yr long seismological experiment has been carried out in the North Tanzanian Divergence (NTD), at the southern tip of the eastern magmatic branch of the East African rift, where the southward-propagating continental rift is at its earliest stage. We analyse teleseismic data from 38 broad-band stations ca. 25 km spaced and present here results from their receiver function (RF) analysis. The crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio are retrieved over a ca. 200 × 200 km2 area encompassing the South Kenya magmatic rift, the NTD and the Ngorongoro-Kilimanjaro transverse volcanic chain. Cratonic nature of the lithosphere is clearly evinced through thick (up to ca. 40 km) homogeneous crust beneath the rift shoulders. Where rifting is present, Moho rises up to 27 km depth and the crust is strongly layered with clear velocity contrasts in the RF signal. The Vp/Vs ratio reaches its highest values (ca. 1.9) beneath volcanic edifices location and thinner crust, advocating for melting within the crust. We also clearly identify two major low-velocity zones (LVZs) within the NTD, one in the lower crust and the second in the upper part of the mantle. The first one starts at 15–18 km depth and correlates well with recent tomographic models. This LVZ does not always coexist with high Vp/Vs ratio, pleading for a supplementary source of velocity decrease, such as temperature or composition. At a greater depth of ca. 60 km, a mid-lithospheric discontinuity roughly mimics the step-like and symmetrically outward-dipping geometry of the Moho but with a more slanting direction (NE–SW) compared to the NS rift. By comparison with synthetic RF, we estimate the associated velocity reduction to be 8–9 per cent. We relate this interface to melt ponding, possibly favouring here deformation process such as grain-boundary sliding (EAGBS) due to lithospheric strain. Its geometry might have been controlled by inherited lithospheric fabrics and heterogeneous upper mantle structure. We evidence that crustal and mantle magmatic processes represent first order mechanisms to ease and locate the deformation during the first stage of a cratonic lithospheric breakup.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-01622078
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01622078
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01622078/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01622078/file/plasmanGJI2017.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggx177

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : This work provides new constraints on the interactions between deformation and percolation of melt or fluids, as well as on the implications of these processes for the seismic properties of the mantle wedge. It is based on the analysis of spinel peridotites from the massif of Ronda (Spain) and two xenolith suites from active subduction zones (Kamchatka, Papua New Guinea). A coupled structural, petrological and geochemical study of these samples shows that they underwent a reactive percolation of melts or Si-rich fluids, which was synchronous to a deformation event occurring under high temperature and low stress conditions, consistent with the PT conditions at the base of the lithosphere or in the asthenosphere. This reactive percolation is responsible for enrichment in pyroxenes, mainly orthopyroxene, which is often localized in bands parallel to the high-temperature foliation. This enrichment is associated with grain size reduction and dispersion of the crystallographic orientation of olivine. The dominant slip system in olivine is {0kl}[100], which results in fast S-wave polarization parallel to the flow direction in the mantle. The decrease in the intensity of the olivine crystal preferred orientations associated with the enrichment in pyroxene results in significant decrease of the anisotropy that may induce an underestimation of the thickness of the anisotropic layer by up to 33%. The observed orthopyroxene enrichment also lowers the Vp/Vs ratio, but cannot explain Vp/Vs < 1.7 mapped locally in the fore-arc mantle in Japan and the Andes. Such low Vp/Vs ratios may however be explained by considering the intrinsic anisotropy of the peridotites, which is generally ignored in large-scale Vp/Vs ratio mapping of the mantle wedge. Infrared analyses show that olivine from the both xenolith collections contains less water than the theoretical saturation calculated for their estimated equilibrium temperature in the spinel stability field. These low water content are similar to those observed in spinel peridotites from other subduction zones and probably record both the low solubility of water in olivine at relatively low pressure and dehydration during exhumation of the xenoliths. These measured water contents as well as theoretical saturation estimations are not sufficient to change the dominant slip direction of in olivine from [100] to [001].
Ce travail apporte de nouvelles contraintes sur les interactions entre déformation et processus d'hydratation et de percolation de magma ou de fluides dans le manteau à l'aplomb d'une zone de subduction et leurs implications sur les propriétés sismiques dans le coin mantellique. Il se base sur l'analyse de péridotites à spinelle provenant du massif de Ronda (Espagne) et deux séries de xénolites issues de zones de subduction actives (Kamchatka, Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée). L'étude structurale, pétrologique et géochimique de ces échantillons montrent qu'ils ont subit une percolation réactive de magma ou de fluide synchrone d'une déformation de haute température basse contrainte cohérente avec les condition PT de la base de la lithosphère ou de l'asthénosphère. Cette percolation réactive est responsable d'un enrichissement en pyroxènes, qui est souvent localisé dans des bandes parallèles à la foliation. Cet enrichissement est associé à une dispersion de l'orientation cristallographique de l'olivine. Les systèmes de glissement dominant dans l'olivine sont dans tous les cas {0kl}[100], ce qui implique que la direction de polarisation rapide des ondes S dans la partie supérieure du coin mantellique est parallèle à la direction d'écoulement dans le manteau. La décroissance de l'intensité des OPR de l'olivine associée à l'enrichissement en pyroxènes a pour conséquence une réduction non négligeable de l'anisotropie sismique qui peut induire jusqu'à 33% d'erreur sur l'interprétation de l'épaisseur de la couche anisotrope. Un enrichissement en orthopyroxène peut aussi entraîner une baisse du rapport Vp/Vs, mais ne peut expliquer les rapports Vp/Vs <1,7 cartés dans certains avant-arcs. Cependant de telles valeurs peuvent être expliquées si l'anisotropie des péridotites du coin mantellique est prise en compte. Les analyses par spectroscopie infra-rouge montrent que les olivines des deux séries de xénolites étudiées contiennent moins d'eau que la saturation théorique calculée pour leurs températures d'équilibre dans le domaine du spinelle. Ces faibles concentrations en eau sont similaires à celles observées dans les olivines des péridotites à spinelle des autres zones de subduction. Elles enregistrent probablement la faible solubilité de l'eau dans l'olivine à des pressions relativement basses et la déshydratation au cours de l'exhumation des xénolites. Ces teneurs en eau mesurées ainsi que les estimations de la saturation théorique ne sont pas suffisantes pour changer la direction de glissement dominante dans l'olivine de [100] à [001].
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00689832

tel-00689832
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00689832
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00689832/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00689832/file/These-Soustelle2010.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Mongolia represents the northernmost area affected by the India–Asia collision, and it is actively deformed along transpressive belts closely associated with large-scale strike-slip faults. The active and past mantle flow beneath this region is, however, poorly known. In order to investigate deep mantle deformation beneath central Mongolia and its relation with the surrounding major structures such as the Siberian craton, the Gobi–Altay belt and the Baikal rift, a NS-trending profile of broadband seismic stations has been deployed in the summer 2003 from the southern Siberian craton to the Gobi–Altay range, crossing the entire Hangay dome. Mantle flow is deduced from the splitting of teleseismic shear waves such as SKS phases. In eastern Mongolia, the permanent station ULN in Ulaanbaatar reveals the presence of two anisotropic layers, the upper one being oriented NE–SW, close to the trend of lithospheric structures and the lower one NW–SE, close to the trend of Eurasia absolute plate motion. Along the NS profile in central Mongolia, seismic anisotropy deduced from SKS splitting reveals a homogeneous NW–SE trending structure, fully consistent with the observations made in the Altay–Sayan in western Mongolia. The observed delay times of 1.5 to more than 2.0 s favor consistent mantle flow over large mantle thicknesses. Since the lithosphere is less than 100 km thick beneath central Mongolia and since the observed fast directions are parallel to the trend of the lithospheric structures but also close to the trend of the absolute plate motion, we propose that both the lithosphere and the asthenosphere may join their anisotropic effects beneath central Mongolia to explain the large delay times. Although GPS vectors represent the instantaneous displacement of the Earth's surface and SKS splitting the time and vertical integration of finite strain at depth, we use the opportunity of the dense geodetic measurements available in this region to discuss the anisotropy pattern in term of present-day deformation. In the Eurasia-fixed reference frame, GPS and SKS both depict a similar trend beneath central Mongolia, suggesting a lithospheric block “escaping” toward the east that could orient olivine a-axes in the upper mantle, within a transpressive tectonic regime. A different behaviour is observed in western Mongolia: the GPS vectors trend NS, close to the regional compression direction, whereas the fast SKS directions trend EW, suggesting a tectonic regime close to a mode of axial shortening, generating the development of an EW-trending foliation at depth. We therefore propose that Mongolia is a place where active and frozen lithospheric deformation may add their effects, together with the sublithospheric flow. In the three sources of anisotropy inferred, a fundamental role is played by the Siberian craton that acted as an undeformable core of the continent through time: the frozen Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures wrap around the craton, building up the fast anisotropic direction pattern; the present-day sublithospheric flow induced by the plate motion is likely deflecting around its deep roots; finally, the present-day tectonic regime appears to be controlled by the presence of the craton to the north.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-00407853
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00407853/file/Barruol_SKS_Mongolia_EPSL2008_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.027

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The identification of the structures and deformation patterns in magma-poor continental rifted margins is essential to characterize the processes of continental lithosphere necking. Brittle faults, often termed mantle detachments, are believed to play an essential role in the rifting processes that lead to mantle exhumation. However, ductile shear zones in the deep crust and mantle are rarely identified and their mechanical role remains to be established. The western Betics (Southern Spain) provides an exceptional exposure of a strongly thinned continental lithosphere, formed in a supra-subduction setting during Oligocene-Lower Miocene. A full section of the entire crust and the upper part of the mantle is investigated. Variations in crustal thickness are used to quantify crustal stretching that may reach values larger than 2000% where the ductile crust almost disappear, defining a stage of hyper-stretching. Opposite senses of shear top-to-W and top-to-E are observed in two extensional shear zones located close to the crust-mantle boundary and along the brittle-ductile transition in the crust, respectively. At locations where the ductile crust almost disappears, concordant top-to-E-NE senses of shear are observed in both upper crust and serpentinized mantle. Late high-angle normal faults with ages of ca. 21 Ma or older (40Ar/39Ar on white mica) crosscut the previously hyper-stretched domain, involving both crust and mantle in tilted blocks. The western Betics exemplifies, probably better than any previous field example, the changes in deformation processes that accommodate the progressive necking of a continental lithosphere. Three successive steps can be identified: i/a mid-crustal shear zone and a crust-mantle shear zone, acting synchronously but with opposite senses of shear, accommodate ductile crust thinning and ascent of subcontinental mantle; ii/hyper-stretching localizes in the neck, leading to an almost disappearance of the ductile crust and bringing the upper crust in contact with the subcontinental mantle, each of them with their already acquired opposite senses of shear; and iii/high-angle normal faulting, cutting through the Moho, with related block tilting, ends the full exhumation of the mantle in the zone of localized stretching. The presence of a high strength sub-Moho mantle is responsible for the change in sense of shear with depth. Whereas mantle exhumation in the western Betics occurred in a backarc setting, this deformation pattern controlled by a high-strength layer at the top of the lithosphere mantle makes it directly comparable to most passive margins whose formation lead to mantle exhumation. This unique field analogue has therefore a strong potential for the seismic interpretation of the so-called “hyper-extended margins”.
ISSN: 0264-8172

insu-01310895
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01310895
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01310895/document
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-01310895/file/Frasca-MarPetGeol-2016.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2016.04.020

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union
Résumé : International audience
We determine the elasticity of FeSiO3 perovskite for various spin configurations using density-functional theory calculations. The elastic moduli and the bulk seismic wave velocities are weakly affected by the spin transition. However we show that the intrinsic differences in seismic anisotropy between the high-spin and low-spin phases of Fe-bearing perovskite coupled with lattice preferred orientation that can develop due and during the convection may lead to distinct seismic signatures between the top and the bottom of the lower mantle. These signatures should be detectable in observations and they need to be taken into account in tomographic studies of the Earth's lower mantle.
ISSN: 0094-8276

hal-00512662
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00512662
DOI : 10.1029/2010GL043320

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD AGU and the Geochemical Society
Résumé : International audience
1] Recent statistical analysis by Lallemand et al. (2008) of subduction zone parameters revealed that the back-arc deformation mode depends on the combination between the subducting (nu(sub)) and upper (nu(up)) plate velocities. No significant strain is recorded in the arc area if plate kinematics verifies nu(up) = 0.5 vsub - 2.3 (cm/a) in the HS3 reference frame. Arc spreading ( shortening) occurs if nu(up) is greater ( lower) than the preceding relationship. We test this statistical law with numerical models of subduction, by applying constant plate velocities far away from the subduction zone. The subducting lithosphere is free to deform at all depths. We quantify the force applied on the two converging plates to sustain constant surface velocities. The simulated rheology combined viscous (non-Newtonian) and brittle behaviors, and depends on water content. The influence of subduction rate vs is first studied for a fixed upper plate. After 950 km of convergence ( steady state slab pull), the transition from extensional to compressive stresses in the upper plate occurs for vs similar to 1.4 cm/a. The effect of upper plate velocity is then tested at constant subduction rate. Upper plate retreat ( advance) with respect to the trench increases extension ( compression) in the arc lithosphere and increases ( decreases) the subducting plate dip. Our modeling confirms the statistical kinematic relationship between vsub and nu(up) that describes the transition from extensional to compressive stresses in the arc lithosphere, even if the modeled law is shifted toward higher rates of upper plate retreat, using our set of physical parameters ( e. g., 100 km thick subducting oceanic plate) and short- term simulations. Our results make valid the choice of the HS3 reference frame for assessing plate velocity influence on arc tectonic regime. The subduction model suggests that friction along the interplate contact and the mantle Stokes reaction could be the two main forces competing against slab pull for upper mantle subductions. Besides, our simulations show that the arc deformation mode is strongly time dependent.
ISSN: 1525-2027

hal-00412328
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412328
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412328/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00412328/file/arcayG32008.pdf
DOI : 10.1029/2007GC001875

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
We analyse P-wave receiver functions across the western Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea continental margins in Western Yemen to constrain crustal thickness, internal crustal structure and the bulk seismic velocity characteristics in order to address the role of magmatism, faulting and mechanical crustal thinning during continental breakup. We analyse teleseismic data from 21 stations forming the temporary Young Conjugate Margins Laboratory (YOCMAL) network together with GFZ and Yemeni permanent stations. Analysis of computed receiver functions shows that (1) the thickness of unextended crust on the Yemen plateau is ∼35km; (2) this thins to ∼22km in coastal areas and reaches less than 14km on the Red Sea coast, where presence of a high-velocity lower crust is evident. The average Vp/Vs ratio for the western Yemen Plateau is 1.79, increasing to ∼1.92 near the Red Sea coast and decreasing to 1.68 for those stations located on or near the granitic rocks. Thinning of the crust, and by inference extension, occurs over a ∼130-km-wide transition zone from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coasts to the edges of the Yemen plateau. Thinning of continental crust is particularly localized in a <30-km-wide zone near the coastline, spatially co-incident with addition of magmatic underplate to the lower crust, above which on the surface we observe the presence of seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) and thickened Oligo-Miocene syn-rift basaltic flows. Our results strongly suggest the presence of high-velocity mafic intrusions in the lower crust, which are likely either synrift magmatic intrusion into continental lower crust or alternatively depleted upper mantle underplated to the base of the crust during the eruption of the SDRs. Our results also point towards a regional breakup history in which the onset of rifting was synchronous along the western Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea volcanic margins followed by a second phase of extension along the Red Sea margin.
ISSN: 0956-540X

hal-00825194
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825194
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825194/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00825194/file/RF_Hakim2012_GJI.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/gji/ggt072

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Société géologique de France
Résumé : National audience
The late Lower to Middle Permian Panjal Traps (NW Himalaya, India-Pakistan) represent the greatest magmatic province erupted on the northern Indian platform during the Neotethys opening. New geochemical and isotopic analyses were performed on basalts from the eastern borders of the traps (SE Zanskar-NW Spiti area) in order to characterize this volcanism, to discuss its compositional variations in comparison to Panjal counterparts and its relationships with the opening of Neotethys. Lavas show features of tholeiitic low-Ti (< 1.6%) continental flood basalts with LREE, Th enrichments and Nb-Ta negative anomalies. Trace element ratios combined with {varepsilon}Ndi values (–3.6 to +0.9) and high Pb isotopic ratios suggest that these tholeiitic basalts were derived from an OIB-like mantle contaminated at various degrees by a continental crust component. Previous geochemical features are broadly similar to those of the coeval Panjal volcanic sequences identified westwards (Ladakh, Kashmir and Pakistan). Present geochemical constraints obtained for the Panjal Traps basalts suggest they originated from rapid effusion of tholeiitic melts during opening of the Neotethys Ocean. Similar magmatism implying an OIB-type reservoir is contemporaneously recognized on and along the adjacent Arabian platform. Both Indian and Arabian Permian volcanics were emplaced during coeval syn-rift to post rift transition. These Lower to Middle Permian south Neotethyan continental flood magmatism are regarded as associated to a passive rifting. In this scheme, OIB-type isotopic signature would be related either to a melting episode of syn-rift up-welling mantle plumes or to a melting of a regional abnormally hot and enriched mantle.
EISSN: 1777-5817

insu-00338862
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00338862
DOI : 10.2113/gssgfbull.179.4.383

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD The Geochemical Society of Japan
Résumé : International audience
The Western Cordillera of Ecuador consists of Cretaceous crustal fragments of oceanic plateaux and superimposed insular arcs, which were accreted to the northwestern South American margin during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene. Slices of high-grade metabasites, ultramafic rocks, gabbros and basalts, unmetamorphosed radiolarian cherts and scarce garnet-bearing metasediments were randomly exhumed along Miocene to Recent transcurrent faults crosscutting the Western Cordillera. The basalts show geochemical characteristics of oceanic plateau basalts (flat REE patterns, La/Nb = 0.85). The gabbros differ from the basalts in having lower REE levels, positive Eu anomalies, and negative Nb and Ta anomalies; they are interpreted as resulting from arc magmatism. The amphibolites and banded amphibolites have major and trace element chemistry similar to that of oceanic plateau basalts (flat REE patterns, La/Nb = 0.86) or to cumulate gabbros. The granulite shares with oceanic plateaus similar trace element chemistry (flat REE patterns, La/Nb < 1) and εNdi values (+7.6). Continent-derived metasediments are depleted in heavy REE (La/Y = 4.8) and have a negative Eu anomaly. Foliated lherzolites, melagabbronorites and pyroxenites consist of serpentinized olivine + cpx + opx ± Ca-plagioclase. Lherzolites, melagabbronorites and pyroxenites are LREE depleted with positive Eu anomalies, while the harzburgite displays a U-shaped REE pattern. The trace element abundances of the ultramafic rocks are very low (0.1 to 1 times the chondritic and primitive mantle values). The ultramafic rocks represent fragments of depleted mantle, deformed cpx-rich cumulate, and continental lithospheric mantle or mantle contaminated by subduction-fluid. Except the scarce quartz-rich metasediments, all these rocks likely represent remnants of accreted oceanic crustal fragments and associated depleted mantle. Since these samples were randomly sampled at depth by the fault, we propose that the Western Cordillera and its crustal root are mainly of oceanic nature.
ISSN: 0016-7002

insu-00679228
https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00679228

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 Springer-Verlag
Résumé : The seismology is the most effective method to explore the Structure of subduction zones to great depth. The distinguishing feature of the mantle in the subduction regions is the presence of hydrated phases, which transport water into the Earth's interior and release it with dramatic local consequences, triggering earthquakes and melting. The seismological detection of these hydrous phases and geo-dynamic interpretation of flow in the hydrous mantle depend on knowledge of the anisotropic elastic properties and the characteristics of the wave propagation in anisotropic media. In this paper we briefly recall the distinguishing features of anisotropic wave propagation and the observable parameters. We suggest the Vp/Vs ratio is a physically sound parameter than can be observed by seismology in anisotropic regions of the Earth, whereas the Poisson's ratio, which is often quoted, is not directly observable and does not correspond to the characteristics of wave propagation in an anisotropic or isotropic medium. We report for the first time the ratios of Vp/Vs1 and Vp/Vs2, where Vs1 is the fastest and Vs2 slowest S-wave velocities of an anisotropic media. We present the current knowledge of the anisotropic seismic properties of hydrous minerals in the upper mantle, transition zone, and lower mantle that are stable along low temperature geotherms associated with subduction, and identify which minerals are likely to influence seismological observations because they have very high volume fractions, or very high anisotropies, or both of these.;In the upper mantle antigorite and talc are exceptionally anisotropic (Vp 71% Vs 68% and Vp 65%, Vs 68%, respectively) and chlorite is also very anisotropic for S-waves (Vp 35%, Vs 76%). Comparatively less anisotropic are hornblende (Vp 27%, Vs 31%), used as proxy for tremolite in subduction zones, and clinohumite (21.8%, Vs 15.9%). Brucite at 4 GPa (Vp 26.5%, Vs 30.9%) and the dense hydrogen magnesium silicate (DHMS) phase A at 9GPa (Vp 9.3%, Vs 17.6%) are the only hydrous minerals stable in the upper mantle that have had their elastic properties measured at in situ mantle pressures. Except for the phase A, all these minerals are more anisotropic than olivine for at least one parameter (Vp, Vs, Vp/Vs1, or Vp/Vs2). In the transition zone the major phases hydrous wadsleyite and ringwoodite C have moderate to weak anisotropies (Vp 16.3%, Vs 16.5%, and Vp 1.9%, Vs 4.4%, respectively). The DHMS Superhydrous B has a moderate anisotropy (Vp 6.9%, Vs 11.6%). At greater depth the DHMS phase D Lit 24 GPa (Vp 10.8%, Vs 18.0%) is the only hydrous phase that can transport hydrogen from the transition zone into the lower mantle. The phase D is more anisotropic for S than P waves like many of the hydrous phases. From these data it is clear that hydrous phases are in general very anisotropic. However, pressure can play a strong role in reducing anisotropy. It is the case for brucite and talc, in which increasing pressure from ambient to 4 GPa reduces the anisotropy by about 50% for both P and S waves. In contrast, the anisotropy of the DHMS phase A does not change significantly with pressure.;Our picture of the seismic anisotropy of hydrated minerals remains incomplete; the elastic properties of many have not been measured even at ambient conditions (e.g., 10 angstrom phase and phase E) or not measured in their true elastic symmetry (e.g., clinochlore). The majority of hydrous minerals have not been measured at high pressure. and none related to hydrated mantle have been measured at elevated temperature. We have shown in the few cases where hydrous minerals have been measured as a function of pressure, that this variable has an important effect oil the velocity distribution and in most cases reduces the degree of anisotropy, hence we Would expect seismic anisotropy to play a key role in the determination of the shallow structure of subduction zones in the upper mantle.
Subduction zone geodynamics

hal-00420893
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00420893

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Mantle noble gases record important and ancient isotopic heterogeneities, which fundamentally influence our understanding of mantle geodynamics, yet these heterogeneities are difficult to fully interpret without understanding the basic mechanisms of noble gas storage and transport in mantle minerals. A series of annealing experiments that mimic mantle conditions (i.e. sub-solidus with natural, polycrystalline, texturally equilibrated olivines at low noble gas partial pressures) show that intergranular interfaces (grain boundaries) are major hosts for noble gases in the mantle, and that interfaces can dramatically fractionate noble gases from their radio-parents (U + Th and K). Therefore, noble gas isotopic heterogeneities in the mantle could result from grain size variations. Fine-grained lithologies (mylonites and ultramylonites, for example) with more grain boundaries will have lower U/3He ratios (compared to a coarse grained equivalent), which, over time, will preserve higher 3He/4He ratios. As predicted by theory of points defect diffusivity, these results show that noble gas diffusion along interfaces is different from those in the grain lattice itself at low temperatures. However, for grain size relevant of the Earth's mantle, the resulting effective correlated activation energies (Ea)(Ea) and pre-exponential factors (Do/a2)(Do/a2) produce similar diffusivities at mantle temperatures for interface- and lattice-hosted helium. Therefore, grain boundaries do not significantly affect helium transport at mantle conditions and length scales.
ISSN: 0012-821X

hal-01236013
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01236013
DOI : 10.1016/j.epsl.2015.08.024

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The seismic anisotropy of the deep Earth is reviewed as a profile from the upper mantle to the solid inner core at the centre of the Earth. The upper mantle is by far the most anisotropic region of the Earth, followed the D” layer above the core mantle boundary. In contrast it is shown that many minerals that are present in the upper mantle, transition zone, lower mantle, D” layer and solid inner core are elastically anisotropic to different degrees. The anisotropy of hydrous phases present in subduction zones is briefly introduced. The basic concepts of single crystal and polycrystalline elasticity and the extrapolation of elastic properties to high temperature and pressure are presented. The specific features of elastic wave propagation in an anisotropic medium of any arbitrary symmetry are illustrated using mantle and inner core phases. The roles of crystal preferred orientation, water and melt in producing seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle are discussed.
Treatese of Geophysics, vol.2

hal-00408321
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00408321
DOI : 10.1016/B978-044452748-6.00045-6