scholarly journals Central role of detachment faults in accretion of slow-spreading oceanic lithosphere

Nature ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 455 (7214) ◽  
pp. 790-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Escartín ◽  
D. K. Smith ◽  
J. Cann ◽  
H. Schouten ◽  
C. H. Langmuir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Detachment Faults ◽  
Slow Spreading

The Heterogeneous Tethyan Oceanic Lithosphere of the Alpine Ophiolites

Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Rampone ◽  
Alessio Sanfilippo
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
Crustal Material ◽  
Crustal Accretion ◽  
Mantle Dynamics ◽  
Western Tethys ◽  
Mantle Peridotites ◽  
Slow Spreading ◽  
Tethys Ocean ◽  
Basaltic Crust

The Alpine–Apennine ophiolites are lithospheric remnants of the Jurassic Alpine Tethys Ocean. They predominantly consist of exhumed mantle peridotites with lesser gabbroic and basaltic crust and are locally associated with continental crustal material, indicating formation in an environment transitional from an ultra-slow-spreading seafloor to a hyperextended passive margin. These ophiolites represent a unique window into mantle dynamics and crustal accretion in an ultra-slow-spreading extensional environment. Old, pre-Alpine, lithosphere is locally preserved within the mantle sequences: these have been largely modified by reaction with migrating asthenospheric melts. These reactions were active in both the mantle and the crust and have played a key role in creating the heterogeneous oceanic lithosphere in this branch of the Mesozoic Western Tethys.

scholarly journals The role of Edge-Driven Convection in the generation of volcanism I: a 2D systematic study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba ◽  
Maxim Ballmer
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Continental Lithosphere ◽  
Transient Phenomenon ◽  
Mantle Viscosity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. The origin of intraplate volcanism is not explained by the plate tectonic theory, and several models have been put forward for explanation. One of these models involves Edge-Driven Convection (EDC), in which cold and thick continental lithosphere is juxtaposed to warm and thin oceanic lithosphere to trigger convective instability. To test whether EDC can produce long-lived high-volume magmatism, we run numerical models of EDC for a wide range of mantle properties and edge (i.e., the oceanic-continental transition) geometries. We find that the most important parameters that govern EDC are the rheological paramaters mantle viscosity η0 and activation energy Ea. However, even the maximum melting volumes found in our models are insufficient to account for island-building volcanism on old seafloor, such as at the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Also, beneath old seafloor, localized EDC-related melting commonly transitions into widespread melting due to small-scale sublithospheric convection, inconsistent with the distribution of volcanism at these volcanic chains. In turn, EDC is a good candidate to sustain the formation of small seamounts on young seafloor, as it is a highly transient phenomenon that occurs in all our models soon after initiation. In a companion paper, we investigate the implications of interaction of EDC with mantle-plume activity.

scholarly journals The role of edge-driven convection in the generation of volcanism – Part 1: A 2D systematic study

Solid Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-632
Author(s):  
Antonio Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba ◽  
Maxim D. Ballmer
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Models ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Rheological Parameters ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Transient Phenomenon ◽  
Mantle Viscosity ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract. The origin of intraplate volcanism is not explained by plate tectonic theory, and several models have been put forward for explanation. One of these models involves edge-driven convection (EDC), in which cold and thick continental lithosphere is juxtaposed with warm and thin oceanic lithosphere to trigger convective instability. To test whether EDC can produce long-lived high-volume magmatism, we run numerical models of EDC for a wide range of mantle properties and edge (i.e., the oceanic–continental transition) geometries. We find that the most important parameters that govern EDC are the rheological parameters mantle viscosity η0 and activation energy Ea. However, even the maximum melting volumes predicted by our most extreme cases are insufficient to account for island-building volcanism on old seafloor, such as at the Canary Islands and Cabo Verde. Also, beneath old seafloor, localized EDC-related melting commonly transitions into widespread melting due to small-scale sublithospheric convection, inconsistent with the distribution of volcanism at these volcano chains. In turn, EDC is a good candidate to sustain the formation of small seamounts on young seafloor, as it is a highly transient phenomenon that occurs in all our models soon after initiation. In a companion paper, we investigate the implications of interaction of EDC with mantle plume activity (Manjón-Cabeza Córdoba and Ballmer, 2021).

The ophiolites of the Tibetan Geotraverses, Lhasa to Golmud (1985) and Lhasa to Kathmandu (1986)

1988 ◽  
Vol 327 (1594) ◽  
pp. 215-238 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zone ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Island Arc ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
Jinsha River ◽  
Geochemical Composition ◽  
The North ◽  
Kunlun Mountains ◽  
Slow Spreading ◽  
Back Arc

Ophiolite belts are found in Tibet along the Zangbo, Banggong and Jinsha River Sutures and in the Anyemaqen mountains, the eastern extension of the Kunlun mountains. Where studied, the Zangbo Suture ophiolites are characterized by: apparently thin crustal sequences (3-3.5 k m ); an abundance of sills and dykes throughout the crustal and uppermost mantle sequences; common intraoceanic melanges and unconformities; and an N-MORB petrological and geochemical composition. The ophiolites probably formed within the main neo-Tethyan ocean and the unusual features may be due to proximity to ridge-transform intersections, rather than to genesis at very slow -spreading ridges as the current consensus suggests. The Banggong Suture ophiolites have a supra-subduction zone petrological and geochemical composition — although at least one locality in the Ado Massif shows MORB characteristics. However, it is also apparent that the dykes and lavas show a regional chemical zonation, from boninites and primitive island arc tholeiites in the south of the ophiolite belt, through normal island arc tholeiites in the central belt to island arc tholeiites transitional to N-MORB in the north. The ophiolites could represent fragments of a fore-arc, island arc, back-arc complex developed above a Jurassic, northward-dipping subduction zone and emplaced in several stages during convergence of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. The ophiolites of the Jinsha River Suture have a N-MORB composition where analysed, but more information is needed for a proper characterization. The Anyemaqen ophiolites, where studied, have a within-plate tholeiite composition and may have originated at a passive margin: it is not, however, certain whether true oceanic lithosphere, as opposed to strongly attenuated continental lithosphere, existed in this region.

Fluid processes during the exhumation of high-P metamorphic belts

2002 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Miller ◽  
I. S. Buick ◽  
I. Cartwright ◽  
A. Barnicoat
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Partial Melting ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Direct Role ◽  
Detachment Faults ◽  
Dehydration Reactions ◽  
Exhumation History

AbstractFluids can play a direct role in exhumation by influencing exhumation mechanisms and the driving processes for these mechanisms. In addition, the process of exhumation leads to the development of fluid-related features that in themselves may not drive exhumation. Fluids involved in exhumation are generally derived from dehydration reactions occurring during decompression, but at shallower crustal levels may also involve the introduction of exotic fluids. The composition of fluids attending exhumation are generally saline – CO2 mixtures, but N2, CH4, H2O mixtures have also been recorded. Studies of fluid features related to exhumation have found that fluids may contribute to density changes and the initiation of partial melting during decompression, as well as the development of extensive vein systems. However, the preservation of geochemical signatures related to fluid processes occurring prior to high-P and ultrahigh-P metamorphism indicates that large-scale pervasive fluid flow systems, in general, do not operate at any stage during the exhumation history. Large-scale channelled fluid flow may have operated in detachment faults and shear zones related to exhumation, and this requires further study. The most significant role of fluids during exhumation appears to be their controlling influence on the preservation of high-P or ultrahigh-P rocks.

Extreme Nd isotopic variation in the Trinity Ophiolite Complex and the role of melt/rock reactions in the oceanic lithosphere

1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Gruau ◽  
J. Bernard-Griffiths ◽  
C. Lécuyer ◽  
O. Henin ◽  
J. Macé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Ophiolite Complex ◽  
Isotopic Variation ◽  
The Trinity

scholarly journals Fossil oceanic core complexes in the Alps. New field, geochemical and isotopic constraints from the Tethyan Aiguilles Rouges Ophiolite (Val d’Hérens, Western Alps, Switzerland)

2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Decrausaz ◽  
Othmar Müntener ◽  
Paola Manzotti ◽  
Romain Lafay ◽  
Carl Spandler
Keyword(s):  
Sedimentary Cover ◽  
Oceanic Lithosphere ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Continental Margins ◽  
Remarkable Feature ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Basement Rocks ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Slow Spreading

AbstractExhumation of basement rocks on the seafloor is a worldwide feature along passive continental margins and (ultra-) slow-spreading environments, documented by dredging, drilling or direct observations by diving expeditions. Complementary observations from exhumed ophiolites in the Alps allow for a better understanding of the underlying processes. The Aiguilles Rouges ophiolitic units (Val d’Hérens, Switzerland) are composed of kilometre-scale remnants of laterally segmented oceanic lithosphere only weakly affected by Alpine metamorphism (greenschist facies, Raman thermometry on graphite: 370–380 °C) and deformation. Geometries and basement-cover sequences comparable to the ones recognized in actual (ultra-) slow-spreading environments were observed, involving exhumed serpentinized and carbonatized peridotites, gabbros, pillow basalts and tectono-sedimentary cover rocks. One remarkable feature is the presence of a kilometric gabbroic complex displaying preserved magmatic minerals, textures and crosscutting relationships between the host gabbro and intruding diabase, hornblende-bearing dikelets or plagiogranite. The bulk major and trace element chemistry of mafic rocks is typical of N-MORB magmatism (CeN/YbN: 0.42–1.15). This is supported by in-situ isotopic signatures of magmatic zircons (εHf =  + 13 ± 0.6) and apatites (εNd =  + 8.5 ± 0.8), determined for gabbros and plagiogranites. In-situ U–Pb dating was performed on zircons by laser ablation-ICP-MS, providing ages of 154.9 ± 2.6 Ma and 155.5 ± 2.8 Ma, which are among the youngest for oceanic gabbros in the Alps. Our study suggests that the former Aiguilles Rouges domain was characterized by tectonism and magmatism resembling present-day (ultra-) slow-spreading seafloor. It also suggests that the Tethyan lithosphere is laterally segmented, with punctuated magmatism such as the Aiguilles Rouges gabbros and carbonated ultramafic seafloor covered by basalts and Jurassic tectono-sedimentary deposits.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document