Tesis sobre el tema "Lithospheric Deformation"

Here I develop a cross-correlation approach to estimating heights of shoreline features, and apply the new method to paleo-shorelines of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville. I calculate 1st-derivative (slope) and 2nd-derivative (curvature) profiles from Digital Elevation Model (DEM) or Global Positioning System Real-Time Kinematic (GPS-RTK) measurements of elevation. I then cross-correlate pairs of profiles that have been shifted by various "lags," or shifts in elevation. The correlation coefficient (a normalized dot-product measure of similarity) is calculated as a function of lag within small (~40 m) windows centered at various elevations. The elevation and lag with the greatest correlation coefficient indicates the shoreline elevation at the reference profile and the change in shoreline height for the profile pair. I evaluate several different algorithms for deriving slope and curvature by examining closure of elevation lags across profile triples. I then model isostatic response to Lake Bonneville loading and unloading. I first model lakeshore uplift response to lake load removal assuming an elastic layer over an inviscid half-space. I obtain a best-fit comparison of predicted to observed shoreline heights for the Bonneville level with an elastic layer thickness, Te, of 25±2 km (at 95% confidence) when using only previously published shoreline elevation estimates. The best-fit for the Bonneville level when using these estimates plus 44 new estimates suggests a Te of 26±2 km. The best-fit model for the Provo level suggests Te of 17±3 km. For the Gilbert level, the response is insensitive to the assumed Te. I next model isostatic response to Bonneville loading and unloading assuming an elastic layer over a viscoelastic halfspace. This approach assumes constant parameters for the entire loading history, and yields a best-fit model with Te =70±5 km and viscosity ç=~2x1018 Pa s with 95% confidence ranging from ~1x1018 to ~5x1019 Pa s when only the previously published data are used. With the newer data added, the best-fit model has Te =58±2 km and ç ranging from ~1x1018 to ~1x1019 Pa s with 95% confidence. The 12-15 m weighted root-mean-square misfit to the best-fitting model is dominated by tectonic signals related to Basin-and-Range tectonics particularly seismic offsets of the Wasatch fault, and closely mimics the geological timescale pattern of basin-subsidence and range-uplift.

Convergent continental margins are regions of intense deformation caused by the interaction of oceanic plates with continents. The spatial extent of deformation is broadly commensurate with the specific time scale of the causative phenomenon. For example, subduction-related short-term deformation is limited to <200 km from the margin, whereas long-term plate convergence cause deformation over ∼1000 km landward. Deformation is thus manifested in multiple ways, with attributes depending on the scale of measurement. In this thesis we investigate the use of two geophysical approaches in the study of deformation: 1) The analysis of potential-field anomalies to derive estimates of the elastic thickness (Te) of the lithosphere, and 2) The structural study of past and present subduction systems using seismic observations and modelling. Both approaches involve the development of appropriate methodologies for data analysis and modelling, and their application to the western Canadian landmass. Our findings are summarized as follows: 1) We develop a wavelet-based technique to map variations in Te and its anisotropy; 2) We show how a step-wise transition in Te and its anisotropy from the Cordillera to the Craton is a major factor influencing lithospheric deformation; 3) We implement a waveform modelling tool that includes the effects of structural heterogeneity and anisotropy for teleseismic applications, and use it to model the signature of a fossil subduction zone in a Paleoproterozoic terrane; 4) We use teleseismic recordings to map slab edge morphology in northern Cascadia and show how slab window tectonism and slab stretching led to the creation of the oceanic Explorer plate; 5) We use seismic signals from the subducting oceanic crust to calculate elevated Poisson’s ratio and infer high pore-fluid pressures and a low-permeability plate boundary within the forearc region of northern Cascadia.

Abstract This thesis deals with the analysis of the rheological structure and tectonic modelling of the Fennoscandian Shield. First, a short introduction to the geology and geophysics of the Fennoscandian Shield is presented followed by a description of rheological concepts. Second, the applied modelling procedures, together with the sources of error are explained. Last a brief summary of each original paper including conclusions is given. Understanding rheological conditions through the entire lithosphere and even deeper is the key for understanding the deformation of the earth's interior. Thus, investigating the rheological structure and possible consequences resulting from tectonic loading are required to some extent when interpreting geophysical data into tectonic models. In this thesis rheological structure is obtained by calculating rheological strength in different locations of the central Fennoscandian Shield. These locations are mainly situated along different deep seismic sounding (DSS) profiles as they provide necessary geophysical information required for model construction. Modelling begins by solving the thermal structure in the lithosphere, as rheological behaviour, mainly ductile flow is strongly controlled by temperature. Results from these calculations show that the rheological structure of the lithosphere depends on the thermal conditions resulting in significant areal variations. Generally, the central Fennoscandian Shield can be considered to be rheologically rather strong. Rheologically weak layers are however usually found in the lower crust. Correlation of the rheological structure with earthquake focal depth data shows that brittle fracture is the relevant mechanism in the earthquake generation and that non-occurrence of deep earthquakes implies low stress or high strength conditions deeper in the crust. Calculated rheological structure is furthermore used as a material parameter in the structural models which are solved next. These results suggest that it is highly unlikely that any considerable ductile deformation in the crust of the central Fennoscandian Shield exists and it seems that the present-day thermal and mechanical conditions in the investigated area do not favour such processes in significant amounts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 221-243).
This thesis investigates the evolution of lithospheric deformation and crustal structure from continental margins to mid-ocean ridges. The first part (Ch. 2) examines the style of segmentation along the U.S. East Coast Margin and investigates the relationship between incipient margin structure and segmentation at the modem Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The second part (Chs. 3-5) focuses on the mechanics of faulting in extending lithosphere. In Ch. 3, I show that the incorporation of a strain-rate softening rheology in continuum models results in localized zones of high strain rate that are not imposed a priori and develop in response to the rheology and boundary conditions. I then use this approach to quantify the effects of thermal state, crustal thickness, and crustal rheology on the predicted style of extension deformation. The mechanics of fault initiation and propagation along mid-ocean ridge segments is investigated in Ch. 4. Two modes of fault development are identified: Mode C faults that initiate near the center of a segment and Mode E faults that initiate at the segment ends. Numerical results from Ch. 5 predict that over time scales longer than a typical earthquake cycle transform faults behave as zones of significant weakness.
(cont.) Furthermore, these models indicate that Mode E faults formed at the inside-corner of a ridge-transform intersection will experience preferential growth relative to faults formed at the conjugate outside-corner due to their proximity to the weak transform zone. Finally, the last part of this thesis (Ch. 6) presents a new method to quantify the relationship between the seismic velocity and composition of igneous rocks. A direct relationship is derived to relate Vp to major element composition and typical velocity-depth profiles are used to calculate compositional bounds for the lower continental, margin, and oceanic crust.
by Mark Dietrich Behn.
Ph.D.

Thesis advisor: Seth C. Kruckenberg
The West Antarctic rift system is one of the most expansive regions of extended continental crust on Earth, but relatively little is known about the structure of the mantle lithosphere in this region. This research aims to examine a suite of ultramafic mantle xenoliths from several volcanic centers located throughout Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. Through the use of several complementary analytical methods, the deformational and compositional heterogeneity of the lithospheric mantle in this region is characterized. The Marie Byrd Land xenoliths have equilibration temperatures between 779 and 1198°C, which is a range that corresponds to extraction depths between 39 and 72 km. These samples preserve significant mineralogical and microstructural heterogeneities that document both lateral and vertical heterogeneities within the Marie Byrd Land mantle lithosphere. The modal mineralogy of spinel peridotites varies between 40 – 99% olivine, 0 – 42% diopside, 0 – 45% enstatite and 0 – 5% chromite. Minimum olivine grain sizes range from 60 to 110 µm and maximum olivine grain sizes range from 2.5 to 10.0 mm. The geometric mean grain size of olivine in these samples ranges from 100 µm to 2 mm and has an average of 694 µm. The geometric mean grain size of diopside ranges from 90 to 865 µm and has an average of 325 µm, whereas that of enstatite ranges from 120 µm to 1.2 mm and has an average of 625 µm. Comparatively, the pyroxenites contain 0 – 29% olivine, 29 – 95% diopside, 1 – 36% enstatite and 1 – 11% chromite. Deformation mechanism maps suggest that the olivine within the MBL peridotite xenoliths primarily accommodate strain through the operation of dislocation-accommodated grain-boundary sliding at strain rates between 10-19/s and 10-11/s. This is consistent with microstructural observations of the suite made using optical microscopy (e.g., deformation bands and subgrains in olivine; aligned grain boundaries between contrasting phases). Application of the olivine grain size piezometer indicates that the suite preserves differential stresses ranging from 0.5 MPa to 50 MPa, with mean differential stresses ranging from 4 to 30 MPa. Values of mean differential stress only vary slightly throughout the field area, but generally decrease in magnitude towards the east with maximum values migrating upwards in the lithospheric mantle along this transect. The samples from some volcanic centers are highly homogenous with respect to their microstructural characteristics (e.g., Mount Avers – Bird Bluff), whereas others display heterogeneities on the sub-five-kilometer-scale (e.g., Demas Bluff). Comparatively, mineralogical heterogeneities are more consistent throughout the sample suite with variations generally being observed between the sub-five-kilometer-scale and the sub-ten-kilometer-scale. Most samples within the MBL peridotite suite display axial-[010] or A-type olivine textures. Although less dominant, axial-[100], B-type and random olivine textures are also documented within the suite. Axial-[010] textures have J-indices and M-indices ranging from 1.7 – 4.1 and 0.08 – 0.21, respectively. The average value of the J-index for axial-[010] textures is 2.9, whereas the average M-index of these samples is equal to 0.15. Overall, A-type textures tend to be stronger with J- and M-indices ranging from 1.4 – 9.0 and 0.07 – 0.37, respectively. The olivine crystallographic textures of the MBL xenolith suite are heterogeneous on scales that are smaller than the highest resolution that is attainable using contemporary geophysical methods, which implies that patterns of mantle flow and deformation are far more complex than these studies suggest
Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2016
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences

Les processus de déformation contrôlant l'amincissement de la lithosphère continentale sont encoremal contraints. Nos connaissances sont principalement basées sur la modélisation thermomécaniqued'extension à l'échelle de la lithosphere—utilisant des lois rhéologiques derivées expérimentalement,l'imagerie géophysique et l'analyse de xénolithes provenant de rift continentaux actifs à ce jour, tels quele Rift Est-Africain. L'originalité de ce travail reside dans l'étude des deux plus grands massifs depéridotites sous-continentales ayant enregistrées des conditions primaires du facies à diamant: lesmassifs de Beni Bousera au nord du Maroc et de Ronda au sud de l'Espagne, respectivement. Lesstructures et la zonation petrologique et métamorphique —impliquant une évolution polybarique etpolythermique— préservéees dans ces massifs offrent une opportunité unique pour étudier l'évolutionthermo-mécanique du manteau sous-continental dans un contexte extensif.Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié les mécanismes de déformation des péridotites et despyroxénites afin de contraindre les modes d'exhumation du manteau lithosphérique sous-continental,depuis des conditions du facies des lherzolites à grenat, jusqu'au facies à spinelle et enfin à plagioclase.Nous avons combiné la cartographie des faciès tectono-métamorphiques et des structures ductiles dedéformation, l'analyse des microstructures, la mesure d'orientations préférentielles de réseau (OPR), etla géothermobarométrie conventionelle couplée à la modélisation thermodynamique (PerpleX) afin decontraindre les conditions de pression et température de la déformation. Nous avons montré quel'exhumation précoce du facies à grenat au facies à spinelle était accomodée par une faille transtensiveaffectant le manteau lithosphérique. Dans ce contexte, la zonation tectono-métamorphique et legradient thermique important (ca. 100ºC/km) préservés à Beni Bousera résultent de la juxtapositionmécanique de domaines lithosphériques initialement équilibrés à différentes pressions et températures,fossilisée à une profondeur de ca. 60 km durant l'Oligocène supérieur (ca. 25 Ma). L'exhumation finaledu facies de lherzolite à spinelle au facies à plagioclase et l'emplacement final dans la croûte, mieuxenregistrés dans Ronda, se sont produits par inversion et plissement de la section lithosphériquefortement amincie dans un contexte arrière-arc, probablement lors du retrait vers le sud de lalithosphère subduite et la collision de l'arc avec les paléo-marges maghrébines au Miocène inférieur(21-23 Ma)
The mantle deformation processes that control the thinning and break-up of continentallithosphere remain poorly understood. Our knowledge is restricted to either lithospheric scalethermo-mechanical models —that use experimentally derived flow laws—, geophysicalimaging and/or rare xenoliths from active continental rifts, such as the East African Rift System.The originality of this work relies on the study of the two largest outcrops of diamond faciessubcontinental lithospheric mantle in the world: the Beni Bousera and Ronda peridotite massifsin N Morocco and S Spain, respectively. The structures and petrologic and metamorphic zoningpreserved in these massifs —implying a polybaric and polythermal evolution— provide aunique opportunity to investigate the thermo-mechanical evolution of thick subcontinentallithospheric mantle in extensional settings.In this thesis we studied the deformation mechanisms in both peridotites andpyroxenites to constrain the modes of exhumation of subcontinental lithospheric mantle fromgarnet-, to spinel-, and finally, to plagioclase lherzolite facies conditions. We combined fieldmapping of tectono-metamorphic domains and structural mapping of ductile structures,microstructural analysis, crystal preferred orientations (CPO) measurements and conventionalthermobarometric calculations and thermodynamic modeling (Perple_X) to unravel the pressureand temperature conditions of deformation. We showed that exhumation from garnet- to spinellherzolite facies conditions was accommodated by fast shearing —in thermal disequilibrium—along a lithospheric scale transtensional shear zone. In this context, the petrological zoning andthe large temperature gradient (ca. 100ºC/km) preserved in the Beni Bousera massif representthe mechanical juxtaposition of progressively deeper and hotter lithospheric levels at depths ofca. 60 km in the latest Oligocene (ca. 25 Ma). Final exhumation from spinel- to plagioclasefacies lherzolite and emplacement into the crust is best recorded in the Ronda massif where itoccurred by inversion and lithospheric scale folding of the highly attenuated continentallithosphere in a back-arc region, probably in relation with southward slab rollback andsubsequent collision with the palaeo-Maghrebien passive margin in the early Miocene (21-23Ma)

It has always been enigmatic which processes control the accretion of the North American terranes towards the Pacific plate and the landward migration of the San Andreas plate boundary. One of the theories suggests that the Pacific plate first cools and captures the uprising mantle in the slab window, and then it causes the accretion of the continental crustal blocks. The alternative theory attributes the accretion to the capture of Farallon plate fragments (microplates) stalled in the ceased Farallon-North America subduction zone. Quantitative judgement between these two end-member concepts requires a 3D thermomechanical numerical modeling. However, the software tool required for such modeling is not available at present in the geodynamic modeling community. The major aim of the presented work is comprised basically of two interconnected tasks. The first task is the development and testing of the research Finite Element code with sufficiently advanced facilities to perform the three-dimensional geological time scale simulations of lithospheric deformation. The second task consists in the application of the developed tool to the Neogene deformations of the crust and the mantle along the San Andreas Fault System in Central and northern California. The geological time scale modeling of lithospheric deformation poses numerous conceptual and implementation challenges for the software tools. Among them is the necessity to handle the brittle-ductile transition within the single computational domain, adequately represent the rock rheology in a broad range of temperatures and stresses, and resolve the extreme deformations of the free surface and internal boundaries. In the framework of this thesis the new Finite Element code (SLIM3D) has been successfully developed and tested. This code includes a coupled thermo-mechanical treatment of deformation processes and allows for an elasto-visco-plastic rheology with diffusion, dislocation and Peierls creep mechanisms and Mohr-Coulomb plasticity. The code incorporates an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation with free surface and Winkler boundary conditions. The modeling technique developed is used to study the aspects influencing the Neogene lithospheric deformation in central and northern California. The model setup is focused on the interaction between three major tectonic elements in the region: the North America plate, the Pacific plate and the Gorda plate, which join together near the Mendocino Triple Junction. Among the modeled effects is the influence of asthenosphere upwelling in the opening slab window on the overlying North American plate. The models also incorporate the captured microplate remnants in the fossil Farallon subduction zone, simplified subducting Gorda slab, and prominent crustal heterogeneity such as the Salinian block. The results show that heating of the mantle roots beneath the older fault zones and the transpression related to fault stepping, altogether, render cooling in the slab window alone incapable to explain eastward migration of the plate boundary. From the viewpoint of the thermomechanical modeling, the results confirm the geological concept, which assumes that a series of microplate capture events has been the primary reason of the inland migration of the San Andreas plate boundary over the recent 20 Ma. The remnants of the Farallon slab, stalled in the fossil subduction zone, create much stronger heterogeneity in the mantle than the cooling of the uprising asthenosphere, providing the more efficient and direct way for transferring the North American terranes to Pacific plate. The models demonstrate that a high effective friction coefficient on major faults fails to predict the distinct zones of strain localization in the brittle crust. The magnitude of friction coefficient inferred from the modeling is about 0.075, which is far less than typical values 0.6 – 0.8 obtained by variety of borehole stress measurements and laboratory data. Therefore, the model results presented in this thesis provide additional independent constrain which supports the “weak-fault” hypothesis in the long-term ongoing debate over the strength of major faults in the SAFS.
Seit jeher rätselhaft sind die Prozesse, die die Akkretion der Nordamerikanischen Terranen in Richtung der Pazifischen Platte sowie die Wanderung der Plattengrenze der San-Andreas-Verwerfung in Richtung Festland bestimmen. Eine Theorie besagt, dass sich die Pazifische Platte erst abkühlt und den aufsteigenden Mantel im „Slab Window“ fängt und somit die Akkretion der kontinentalen Krustenblöcke bewirkt. Die andere Theorie geht von einer Akkretion durch das Fangen von Teilen der Farallon-Platte (Mikroplatten) aus, die in der inaktiven nordamerikanischen Farallon-Subduktionszone fest stecken. Die quantitative Beurteilung dieser beiden gegensätzlichen Konzepte erfordert eine thermomechanische numerische 3-D-Modellierung. Das dafür benötigte Software Tool steht jedoch der geodynamischen Modellierung derzeit noch nicht zur Verfügung. Das Hauptziel der vorliegenden Arbeit umfasst im Wesentlichen zwei miteinander verbundene Aufgaben. Die erste besteht in der Entwicklung und Erprobung des Finite-Element-Codes, dessen Eigenschaften den hohen Anforderungen an die Ausführung der dreidimensionalen Simulationen lithosphärischer Deformation auf geologischer Zeitskala gerecht werden müssen. Die zweite Aufgabe ist die Anwendung des entwickelten Tools auf die neogenen Deformationen der Kruste und des Mantels entlang der San-Andreas-Verwerfung in Zentral- und Nordkalifornien. Die Modellierung auf geologischer Zeitskala lithosphärischer Deformation bringt für die Software Tools in Bezug auf Konzept und Durchführung zahlreiche Herausforderungen mit sich. Unter anderem gilt es, den Brittle-Ductile-Übergang in einem einzigen Modell sowie die Gesteinsrheologie in einer breiten Spanne unterschiedlicher Temperaturen und Spannungen adäquat darzustellen und die extremen Deformationen der freien Oberfläche und internen Grenzen aufzulösen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit erfolgte die erfolgreiche Entwicklung und Erprobung des neuen Finite-Element-Codes (SLIM3D). Dieser Code beinhaltet eine gekoppelte thermomechanische Behandlung von Deformationsprozessen und ermöglicht eine elasto-visko-plastische Rheologie mit Diffusion, Dislokation, Peierls Kriechmechanismen und Mohr-Coulomb-Plastizität. Der Code verbindet eine Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian kinematische Formulierung mit freien Oberflächen- und Winkler-Randbedingungen. Das entwickelte Modellierungsverfahren wird für die Untersuchung der Aspekte verwendet, die die neogene lithosphärische Deformation in Zentral- und Nordkalifornien beeinflussen. Die Modellanordnung konzentriert sich auf die Interaktion zwischen drei großen tektonischen Elementen in dieser Region: die Nordamerikanische Platte, die Pazifische Platte sowie die Gorda-Platte, die sich in der Mendocino-Triple-Junction treffen. Unter anderem verdeutlicht die Modellierung den Einfluss des Aufsteigens der Asthenosphäre in das sich öffnende „slab window“ der übergelagerten Nordamerikanischen Platte. Die Modelle beziehen auch die angelagerten Überreste der Mikroplatten in der fossilen Farallon-Subduktionszone, die vereinfachte subduzierende Gorda-Platte sowie markante Heterogenitäten der Kruste, wie beispielsweise den „Salinian Block“, mit ein. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Erwärmung der Mantellithosphäre unter den älteren Störungszonen sowie die Transpression eine Abkühlung im „Slab Window“ als alleinige Begründung für die Ostwärtsbewegung der Plattengrenze nicht zulassen. Aus Sicht der thermomechanischen Modellierung bestätigen die Ergebnisse das geologische Konzept, welches durch das mehrmalige Fangen von Mikroplatten den Hauptgrund für die Wanderung der Plattengrenze der San-Andreas-Verwerfung in Richtung Festland über die letzten 20 Millionen Jahre sieht. Die Überreste der Farallon-Platte, die in der fossilen Subduktionszone gefangen sind, verursachen im Mantel eine wesentlich stärkere Heterogenität als die Abkühlung der Asthenosphäre und stellen somit den effizienteren und direkteren Weg für die Anlagerung der nordamerikanischen Gebiete an die Pazifische Platte dar. Die Modelle demonstrieren, dass ein hoher effektiver Reibungskoeffizient an großen Störungen nicht in der Lage ist, die eindeutigen Zonen der Dehnungslokalisierung in der spröden Kruste vorherzusagen. Die Größe des Reibungskoeffizienten, die sich aus der Modellierung ableitet, beträgt etwa 0,075 und ist damit wesentlich kleiner als die durch unterschiedliche Bohrlochmessungen und Labordaten ermittelten Spannungswerte zwischen 0,6 und 0,8. Daher liefern die in dieser Arbeit präsentierten Ergebnisse der Modelle in der seit langem geführten Debatte über die Stärke von großen Störungen in der San-Andreas-Verwerfung eine zusätzliche unabhängige Begründung der „Weak-Fault“-Hypothese.

Cette étude vise caractériser le manteau lithosphérique du massif du Hoggar (Algérie) et son évolution, grâce à une étude multidisciplinaire (pétrologique, géochimique et pétrophysique) d'enclaves mantelliques échantillonnées par le volcanisme cénozoïque. L'échantillonnage provient de deux districts volcaniques (Tahalagha et Manzaz) situés respectivement en périphérie et au coeur du bombement du Hoggar. Le district de Tahalgha est par ailleurs situé à cheval sur un grand cisaillement pan-africain (le 4°35), séparant deux domaines structuraux majeurs du socle du Hoggar : le Hoggar Central Polycyclique à l'Est (domaine LATEA) et le Hoggar occidental à l'Ouest (bloc d'Iskel). Les xénolites étudiés apportent des informations sur l'évolution du manteau lithosphérique depuis l'orogenèse pan-africaine, au cours de laquelle s'est structuré le socle de cette région (le Bouclier Touareg), jusqu'aux événements cénozoïques responsables du bombement topographique et du volcanisme.L'héritage pan-africain est essentiellement préservé dans les échantillons du district périphérique de Tahalgha, sous la forme de lherzolites équilibrées à basse température (750 - 900°C), à clinopyroxènes appauvris en terres rares légères. Ces échantillons sont considérés comme représentant la lithosphère sous-continentale à l'issue des processus de réjuvénation qui ont marqué les derniers stades de l'orogenèse pan-africaine. Ils montrent des textures de déformation (porphyroclastiques à equigranulaires) bien préservées, attribuées à ces événements et caractérisées par des orientations cristallographiques préférentielles (OPRs) de l'olivine (axiales-[010]) compatibles avec un régime transpressif. Les événements cénozoïques sont marqués par un recuit partiel de ces textures, particulièrement prononcé à Manzaz et dans les échantillons de Tahalgha équilibrés à des températures moyennes à élevées (900-1150°C), et affectés par différents degrés de métasomatisme. Les xénolites de Tahalgha représentent un cas d'étude exemplaire du métasomatisme mantellique, couplant variations texturales, minéralogiques et chimiques le long de gradient locaux de température. Une modification des OPRs d'olivine est observée, qui résulterait à la fois de l'infiltration de liquides métasomatiques et d'une réactivation des accidents pan-africains en cisaillement pur.Des implications importantes de cette étude résident dans l'échelle des variations de premier ordre attribuées aux interactions lithosphère-asthénosphère au Cénozoïque. Celles-ci sont essentiellement à l'échelle du bombement du Hoggar (différences entre Manzaz et Tahalga, c'est-à-dire entre Hoggar central et périphérique) ou à celle de conduits magmatiques et de leurs épontes (variabilité locale des xénolites de Tahalgha). Par contre, les résultats obtenus montrent peu de variations significatives pour les échelles intermédiaires, notamment pour des localités de Tahlagha situées de part et d'autre ou à différentes distances du 4°35. Ceci favorise plutôt, pour l'origine du bombement volcanique du Hoggar, les modèles faisant appel à des structures d'assez grande échelle telle qu'un panache mantellique ou une cellule de convection asthénosphérique de type « Edge Driven Convection », plutôt qu'un processus essentiellement lié à la réactivation des failles lithosphériques pan-africaines
This study aims to characterize the lithospheric mantle of the Hoggar swell (Algeria) and its evolution through time via a multidisciplinary (petrological, geochemical and petrophysical) study of mantle xenoliths sampled by Cenozoic volcanism. The samples were collected in two volcanic districts (Tahalagha and Manzaz) located in the periphery and in the central part of the Hoggar massif, respectively. The Tahalgha sampling also straddles a mega pan-African shear zone (the 4°35 fault) between two major structural domains of the Tuareg Shield basement: the Central Polycyclic Hoggar to the East (LATEA terranes) and the Western Hoggar domain to the West (Iskel block). The studied xenoliths provide information on the evolution of the lithospheric mantle from the Pan-African orogeny – i.e. the period when the Tuareg Shield was structured – to the Cenozoic events responsible for topographic upwelling and volcanism in the Hoggar swell.The Pan-African heritage is found in xenoliths from the peripheral Tahalgha district. These samples are distinguished by low equilibrium temperatures (750-900°C) and LREE-depleted clinopyroxene compositions. They are considered to represent the sub-continental lithosphere after the rejuvenation process that marked the later stages of the Pan-African orogeny. They show well preserved deformation textures (porphyroclastic to equigranular) assigned to these events and characterized by preferential crystallographic orientations (CPOs) of olivine (axial-[010]) consistent with a transpressional regime. The Cenozoic events are marked by partial annealing of these textures, particularly pronounced in the Manzaz samples, as well as in the Tahalgha xenoliths equilibrated at medium to high temperatures (900-1150°C). These samples were affected by different degrees of metasomatism. The Tahalgha xenoliths represent a rather unique case study of mantle metasomatism, where coupled textural, mineralogical and chemical variations occur along local temperature gradients. The Cenozoic events were also responsible for a change in olivine CPOs, resulting from both infiltration of metasomatic fluids and reactivation of Pan-African accidents in a pure-shear regime.Important implications of this study lie in the scale at which the first-order lithosphere modifications ascribed to the Cenozoic event are observed, i.e. either at the scale of the whole Hoggar swell, as shown by the increasing degree of textural annealing and metasomatism from Tahalgha to Manzaz (i.e. from outer to central Hoggar), or at the small scale of magma conduits and their wall rocks, as shown by the local variability registered by the Tahalgha xenoliths. Conversely, our data show little changes at intermediate scales, as might be expected, for instance, among the Tahalgha localities situated on either sides - or at different distances - from the 4°35. As regards the origin of the Hoggar volcanic swell, this result favours the models involving relatively large-scale structures such as a mantle plume or "Edge Driven Convection", rather than a process involving merely the reactivation of pan-African lithospheric faults

L'étude du fonctionnement et de la structure des grandes zones de cisaillement, ainsi que de leur évolution dans l'espace et dans le temps est primordiale car elles accommodent la majeure partie de la déformation dans la croûte intermédiaire, la croûte inférieure et également dans le manteau supérieur. La zone de cisaillement du Mertz (MSZ ; longitude 145°Est, Antarctique) s’est révélée être un objet clé pour étudier la localisation de la déformation. La MSZ se situe sur la bordure Est du craton néoarchéen-paléoprotérozoïque de Terre Adélie (TAC) et le sépare d'un domaine granitique Paléozoïque à l'Est. Les études précédentes suggèrent que cette structure décrochante représente la continuité de la zone de cisaillement de Kalinjala (KSZ, Sud de l'Australie) avant l'ouverture de l'océan Austral. Les roches à l'affleurement indiquent que cette structure a été formée dans la croûte intermédiaire en contexte transpressif dextre à 1.7 Ga. La structure de la MSZ a été étudiée depuis l'échelle du terrain jusqu'à l'échelle du micromètre. L'analyse des structures de terrain indique que la déformation paléoprotérozoïque est principalement accommodée par des zones de cisaillement localisées qui sont extrêmement anastomosées au niveau de la MSZ et qui deviennent plus éparses au sein du TAC. Les microstructures et les orientations préférentielles de réseau (OPR) des minéraux (quartz, feldspaths, biotite, amphibole et orthopyroxène) de la MSZ montrent des caractéristiques communes interprétables en terme de conditions, de cinématique et de régime de la déformation qui se distinguent de celles observées dans les boudins tectonique du TAC. Ces derniers montrent, quant à eux, des microstructures et OPR qui révèlent une variété de mécanismes de déformation développés lors de leur formation à 2.5 Ga.L'étude sismologique (fonctions récepteurs et anisotropie des ondes SKS) permet d'apporter de nouvelles données pour la cartographie des structures profondes de la MSZ, du TAC et du domine paléozoïque. Les résultats des fonctions récepteurs indiquent que la croûte est épaisse d'environ 40 à 44 km sous le TAC, 36 km à l'aplomb de la MSZ et 28 km dans le domaine paléozoïque à l'Est. L'analyse de l'anisotropie des ondes SKS suggère que la structuration du manteau sous le craton (ϕ≈N90°E, δt=0,8-1,6s) est différente de celle sous le domaine paléozoïque (ϕ≈N60°E, δt=0,6s). Ainsi, la MSZ constitue la frontière entre ces deux lithosphères ayant des épaisseurs crustales et une structuration du manteau différentes. Enfin, l'étude géochronologique (U-Pb sur zircons et monazites) révèle que le socle du domaine à l'Est de la MSZ présente des âges et une histoire géodynamique différents du TAC. Les âges hérités archéens et paléoprotérozoïques sont similaires à ceux des terrains situés à l'Est de la KSZ au Sud de l'Australie, confirmant ainsi la connexion entre les zones de cisaillement du Mertz et de Kalinjala. De plus, les âges paléozoïques des zircons hérités et métamorphiques et la position géographique des affleurements à l'ouest de la chaîne Transantarctique suggèrent que les échantillons étudiés sont issus d'une marge passive anté-Gondwana formée au sein d'un bassin arrière arc ouvert dans la croûte continentale juste avant la collision de Ross à ≈514-505 Ma.Ainsi, cette étude permet de préciser l'évolution géodynamique à l'Est de la MSZ, et d'apporter de nouveaux éléments pour la connexion avec les terrains du Sud de l'Australie. Par ailleurs, cette thèse souligne l'importance de l'héritage tectonique dans le développement des zones de cisaillement avec, dans le cas de la MSZ, la présence de structures héritées archéennes, ainsi que des processus de localisation de la déformation au sein des lithosphères cratoniques au moins depuis le Paléoprotérozoïque
The study of the behavior and the structure of large shear zones, as well as their evolution in space and times is essential because shear zones accommodate the main deformation in intermediate and deep crust as well as in the mantle.The Mertz shear zone (MSZ; longitude 145°East, Antarctica) is a key target for the study of the deformation localization. The MSZ is located on the eastern boundary of the Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic Terre Adélie craton (TAC) and it separates the TAC from a Paleozoic granitic domain to the east. Previous studies suggest that this strike slip structure was probably continuous with the Kalinjala shear zone (KSZ, South Australia) before the opening of the Southern Ocean. Outcrops indicate that the MSZ was formed in the intermediate crust during a transpressive event at 1.7 Ga. The structure of the MSZ was studied from terrain to micrometric scales. The field structural study shows that the Paleoproterozoic deformation is mainly accommodated by localized shear zones that are extremely anastomosed at the MSZ and become more scattered elsewhere in the TAC. Microstructures and crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of minerals (quartz, feldspaths, biotite, amphibole and orthopyroxene) of the MSZ indicate similar characteristics that can be interpreted in terms of conditions, cinematic and rate of deformation, which are distinct from those of the the tectonic boudins from the TAC. These tectonic boudins reveal microstructures and CPO including a large variety of mechanisms of deformation developed during their formation at 2.5 Ga. The seismological study (receiver functions and SKS-waves anisotropy) permits the characterization of the deep structure on the MSZ area. Receiver functions results show that crustal thickness is about 40 to 44km in the TAC, 36km above the MSZ and 28km in the Paleozoic domain to the east. Analysis of SKS-waves anisotropy suggests that the mantle structures below the craton (ϕ≈N90°E, δt=0,8-1,6s) are different from the ones below the Paleozoic domain (ϕ≈N60°E, δt=0,6s). Thus, the MSZ constitutes the boundary between two lithospheres with distinct crustal thicknesses and mantle structures. The geochronological study (U-Pb dating on zircon and monazite) reveals that the basement of the domain located to the east of the MSZ has a different age and geodynamical story than the TAC. Inherited Archean and Paleoproterozoic ages are similar to those of the terrains located to the east of the KSZ in South Australia that confirms the connection between the Mertz and Kalinjala shear zones. Moreover, the inherited and metamorphic Paleozoic zircon ages as well as the geographic location of the outcrops west of the Transantarctic mountains suggest that studied samples are derived from a pre-Gondwana passive margin formed in a back-arc basin opened in the continental crust just before the Ross orogeny at ≈514-505Ma.This multi-scale approach thus permits precise the geodynamic evolution of the region located east of the MSZ and provide new elements for Australia-Antarctica connection. Moreover, this thesis highlights the importance of tectonic inheritance in the development of shear zones (with the presence of archean inherited structures in the case of the MSZ), as well as localization processes in cratonic lithospheres from at least the Paleoproterozoic times

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed January 12, 2010). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-217).

La localisation de la deformation est un phenomene important dans l'etude de la rupture des materiaux. Celle-ci resulte de la nucleation, de la croissance et de la coalescence des failles qui s'organisent suivant un reseau dont la geometrie est complexe a analyser. Comprendre le phenomene de localisation de la deformation necessite donc de comprendre la dynamique de la croissance de ces reseaux de failles. C'est a ce processus de localisation et a son expression dans la lithosphere auquel nous nous sommes attache a travers cette etude. Le role quantitatif des failles sur les deformations lithospherique a toujours fait l'objet d'un debat scientifique. S'il est indeniable que dans les niveaux superficiels de l'ecorce terrestre les deformations sont principalement concentrees dans les failles, le comportement moyen de la lithosphere terrestre est toujours sujet a discussion. Parce que la lithosphere est un milieu rheologiquement stratifie, nous avons choisi de representer son comportement mecanique a l'aide de modeles analogiques qui respectent la stratification fragile-ductile et qui sont dimensionnes par rapport a la gravite. Ces modeles sont construits en superposant un niveau de sable (qui localise la deformation) sur un niveau de silicone (qui distribue la deformation). Le comportement mecanique de ces modeles est alors decrit a l'aide du rapport de resistance existant entre ces deux niveaux. Selon la valeur de , on observe deux modes de deformations. (1) lorsque ce rapport est inferieur a 0,5 la deformation est distribuee sur l'ensemble de l'experience et la dimension de correlation du champ de deformation, qui traduit son organisation spatiale, est egale a 2. Le reseau de failles se caracterise par une distribution des longueurs qui suit une loi exponentielle dont la longueur caracteristique est egale a l'epaisseur du niveau fragile. La dimension fractale de ce reseau est egale a 2. (2) lorsque est superieur a 0,5, la deformation se localise le long de deux bandes de cisaillements auxquelles sont associees un reseau complexe de failles. Le champ de deformation presente une dimension de correlation egale a 1,9. La distribution des longueurs de failles suit une loi gamma, caracterisee par une longueur caracteristique l#o et par un exposant a. La dimension fractale est egale a 1,8. La transition entre ces deux modes de deformation est brutale, et intervient pour un rapport de resistance critique. Elle peut etre assimilee dans sa nature a une transition de phase. Cette transition est effective lorsque la longueur caracteristique l#o devient plus grande que l'epaisseur du niveau fragile. Cela peut s'interpreter comme le passage depuis une croissance tridimensionnelle des failles (dans les directions horizontale et verticale) a une croissance bidimensionnelle (dans le plan vertical). La determination de la longueur caracteristique et de la dimension fractale a partir de reseau de failles naturels suggere pour la depression afar et la region de san-andreas une deformation localisante

The Norwegian rifted continental margin was formed by the breakup at 55Ma and earlier Mesozoic rifting of the North Atlantic. The continental margin reveals pre-breakup lithosphere deformation during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. This study examines the Lofoten, Vering and Mere margin segments in order to better understand the evolution of the Norwegian margin. Interpreted seismic crustal profiles have been analyzed to determine continental lithosphere thinning and upper crustal extension from the Triassic Period to present day. Continental crustal structure and thinning coupled with the location of both the ocean continent transition (OCT) and the continent ocean boundary (COB) have also been addressed. This study shows that the Norwegian rifted margin experienced breakup depth-dependent lithosphere stretching and thinning where whole lithosphere stretching and thinning exceeds that of the upper crust. Earlier pre- breakup lithosphere deformation during the Triassic, Jurassic and Early Cretaceous rifting is shown to be depth-uniform leading to intra-continental rift basin formation. The non-coaxial superposition of lithosphere thinning from the earlier intra-continental rift events with Early Tertiary breakup thinning has led to a complex and laterally varying distribution of thinned continental lithosphere. It is important to understand the structure and rifting history in order to partition the stretching and thinning of the Norwegian continental margin lithosphere. By these methods better predictions of the subsidence and heat flow histories of the Norwegian margin can be deduced.

A faixa Araçuaí, de idade neoproterozóica, caracteriza-se por apresentar em seu domínio alóctone, uma grande quantidade de intrusões magmáticas, uma crosta parcialmente fundida e rochas de facies granulítica, características de uma geoterma elevada, configurando trata-se de um orógeno quente. A suíte tonalítica Galiléia, alojada em metassedimentos, deformada no estado magmático, representa um grande batólito que influenciou de maneira significativa o comportamento mecânico desta crosta mediana. A Anisotropia de Suscetibilidade Magnética (ASM) medida nesse batólito e usada para um estudo de petrotrama, combinado com uma investigação detalhada sobre a mineralogia magnética, permitiu caracterizar o comportamento paramagnético da Suíte Galiléia e, adicionalmente, trazer informações sobre uma deformacão complexa em 3D. As estruturas observadas se desenvolveram em um magma viscoso resultado de uma combinação da tectônica tangencial induzidas por compressão e forças gravitacionais devido ao peso da crosta sobrejacente. A cinemática do batólito é compatível com aquela descrita para as rochas dúcteis da faixa. Datações U/PB em zircões e monazitas e 40Ar/39Ar em anfibólios, moscovitas e biotitas permitiram definir a evolução termal do batólito Galiléia e de seus metassedimentos hospedeiros e trazer informações sobre o período deformacional. O batólito Galiléia colocouse durante um importante evento magmático, termal e tectônico a ~ 580 Ma. A temperatura permaneceu alta durante os primeiros ~ 50Ma da evolução termal, promovendo uma deformação quase constante do batólito no estado magmático durante várias dezenas de milhões de anos. Tais condições de alta temperatura e cinemática deformacional, estável durante períodos prolongados de tempo, são característicos de orógenos quentes. A taxa de resfriamento vagarosa de ~ 10°C/Ma sugere que após ~500Ma a taxa de exumação foi muito lenta, provavelmente ocasionada apenas pela erosão.
The allochtonous domain of the Neoproterozoic Araçuaí belt involves large amounts of magma, widespread partial melting, granulitic facies and high geotherm, characterising this belt as a hot orogen. The Galiléia tonalitic suite, emplaced within host metasediments and deformed at magmatic state, represents a huge batholith that strongly influenced the mechanical behaviour of this middle crust. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measured through this batholith and used as a petrofabric proxy, combined to a detailed magnetic mineralogy investigation, permitted to characterize the paramagnetic behaviour of the Galiléia suite and therefore to highlight a complex 3D strain deformation. The observed structures developed within the viscous magma resulted from a combination of tangential tectonics induced by the compression, and gravitational forces arising from the load of the overlying crust. The kinematics of the batholith is compatible with that already described for ductile rocks of hot orogens. U/Pb dating on zircons and monazites together with 40Ar/39Ar dating on amphiboles, muscovites and biotites permitted to define the thermal evolution of the Galiléia batholith and its host metasediments and constrain the timing of the deformation. The Galiléia batholith emplaced during an important magmatic, tectonic and thermal event at ~580 Ma. Temperature remained high during the first ~50 Ma of the thermal evolution, promoting a seemingly constant deformation of the batholith at magmatic state during several tens of millions years. Such high temperature conditions and stable deformation kinematics during protracted periods of time are supposed to be characteristic of hot orogen. The slow cooling rate of ~10°C/Ma evidenced after ~500 Ma probably indicate a very slow exhumation probably only conducted by erosion.

Le domaine allochtone de la chaîne Neoproterozoïque Araçuaí met en jeu de grandes quantités de magma, de la fusion partielle et un gradient thermique élevé, ce que caractérise cette chaîne comme un orogène chaud. La suite tonalitique Galiléia, mise en place dans des métasédiments et déformée à l'état magmatique, représente un énorme batholite qui a fortement influencé le comportement mécanique de la croûte moyenne. L'anisotropie de susceptibilité magnétique (ASM) mesurée à travers le batholite et utilisé comme proxy de la petrofabrique, associé à une étude de la minéralogie magnétique, a permit de définir le comportement paramagnétique de la suite Galiléia et de mettre en évidence une déformation complexe en 3D. Les structures développées dans le magma visqueux résultent d'une combinaison de tectoniques tangentielles induites par la compression, et de forces gravitaires découlant du poids de la croûte sus-jacente. La dynamique du batholite est compatible avec celles déjà décrites pour des roches ductiles d'orogènes chauds. Les datations U/Pb sur zircon et monazites et 40Ar/39Ar sur amphiboles, muscovites et biotites ont permit la caractérisation de l'évolution t hermique du batholite et de contraindre la durée de la déformation. Le batholite Galiléia s'est mis en place à ~580 Ma, au cours d'un important événement magmatique, tectonique et thermique. Les températures sont restées hautes durant les premiers ~50 Ma de l'évolution thermique, favorisant une déformation constante du batholite à l'état magmatique, pendant plusieurs dizaine de millions d'années. De telles hautes températures et une telle déformation stable durant de si longues périodes sont des caractéristiques qui semblent communes au orogènes chaud. Le refroidissement lent estimé à 10°C/Ma après ~500 Ma indique l'exhumation a été très lente, probablement due à l'érosion uniquement
The allochtonous domain of the Neoproterozoic Araçuaí belt involves large amounts of magma, widespread partial melting, granulitic facies and high geotherm, characterising this belt as a hot orogen. The Galiléia tonalitic suite, emplaced within host metasediments and deformed at magmatic state, represents a huge batholith that strongly influenced the mechanical behaviour of this middle crust. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measured through this batholith and used as a petrofabric proxy, combined to a detailed magnetic mineralogy investigation, permitted to characterize the paramagnetic behaviour of the Galiléia suite and therefore to highlight a complex 3D strain deformation. The observed structures developed within the viscous magma resulted from a combination of tangential tectonics induced by the compression, and gravitational forces arising from the load of the overlying crust. The kinematics of the batholith is compatible with that already described for ductile rocks of hot orogens. U/Pb dating on zircons and monazites together with 40Ar/39Ar dating on amphiboles, muscovites and biotites permitted to define the thermal evolution of the Galiléia batholith and its host metasediments and constrain the timing of the deformation. The Galiléia batholith emplaced during an important magmatic, tectonic and thermal event at ~580 Ma. Temperature remained high during the first ~50 Ma of the thermal evolution, promoting a seemingly constant deformation of the batholith at magmatic state during several tens of millions years. Such high temperature conditions and stable deformation kinematics during protracted periods of time are supposed to be characteristic of hot orogen. The slow cooling rate of ~10°C/Ma evidenced after ~500 Ma probably indicate a very slow exhumation probably only conducted by erosion

This thesis focuses on calculation of finite and progressive deformation in different tectonic scales using 2D numerical models with application to natural cases. Essentially, two major tectonic areas have been covered: a) salt tectonics and b) upper mantle deformation due to interaction between the lithosphere and asthenosphere. The focus in salt tectonics lies on deformation within down-built diapirs consisting of a source layer feeding a vertical stem. Three deformation regimes have been identified within the salt: (I) a squeezing channel flow underneath the overburden, (II) a corner flow underneath the stem, and (III) a pure channel flow within the stem. The results of the model show that the deformation pattern within the stem of a diapir (e.g. symmetric or asymmetric) can reveal information on different rates of salt supplies from the source layer (e.g. observed in Klodowa-diapir, Poland). Composite rock salt rheology results in strong localization and amplification of the strain along the salt layer boundaries in comparison to Newtonian rock salt. Flow and fold structures of passive marker lines are directly correlated to natural folds within a salt diapir. In case of the upper mantle, focus lies on deformation and resulting lattice preferred orientation (LPO) underneath an oceanic plate. Sensitivity of deformation and seismic anisotropy on rheology, grain size (d), temperature (T), and kinematics (v) has been investigated. The results of the model show that the mechanical lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is strongly controlled by T and less so by v or d. A higher strain concentration within the asthenosphere (e.g. for smaller potential mantle temperatures, higher plate velocities, or smaller d) indicates a weaker coupling between the plate and the underlying mantle, which becomes stronger with the age of the plate. A Poiseuille flow within the asthenosphere, significantly affects the deformation and LPO in the upper mantle. The results of the model show, that deformation in the upper mantle at a certain distance away from the ridge depends on the absolute velocity in the asthenosphere. However, only in cases of a driving upper mantle base does the seismic anisotropy and delay times reach values within the range of natural data.

Les travaux réalisés durant cette thèse apportent de nouvelles contraintes sur les relations entre déformation, hydratation et percolation de fluides et/ou de magmas dans le manteau subcontinental sous un craton et sous un rift, et leurs implications sur son comportement rhéologique. Il repose sur l'analyse des microstructures, des OPRs et des teneurs en hydrogène de xénolites mantelliques du craton du Kaapvaal, et sur deux séries de xénolites provenant de différentes localités le long du rift Est-Africain (Divergence Nord Tanzanienne et SE de l'Ethiopie). Les microstructures granulaires à gros grains et les OPRs bien définies des péridotites du craton du Kaapvaal sont cohérentes avec un épisode de déformation suivi d'une longue période de quiescence. Les OPRs de l'olivine sont majoritairement à symétrie orthorhombique, mais des symétries axiale-[100] et axiale-[010] sont aussi mesurées. Les péridotites cratoniques enregistrent de multiples épisodes métasomatiques, ayant entraîné une hétérogénéité de compositions à petite échelle ne pouvant être détectée par les études sismiques. Les teneurs en hydrogène mesurées dans l'olivine sont variables, mais ont tendance à augmenter jusqu'à 150 km de profondeur, atteignant alors jusqu'à 50 ppm wt. H2O. En dessous de cette profondeur, les échantillons montrent des teneurs en hydrogène très faibles. Les expériences réalisées en piston-cylindre sur la diffusion de l'hydrogène issue d'un liquide kimberlitique vers de la forstérite suggèrent que la fugacité en eau pourrait fortement être diminuée par la présence de CO2, empêchant l'hydratation de l'olivine durant extraction des xénolites par les kimberlites. Ces résultats expérimentaux suggèrent que les teneurs en hydrogène dans l'olivine des péridotites du craton du Kaapvaal ont été acquises durant un épisode métasomatique en profondeur et non pendant leur extraction par les kimberlites. Ces teneurs n'ont toutefois pas à ce jour entraîné de remobilisation de la racine cratonique. Enfin, le calcul des propriétés sismiques des péridotites cratoniques révèle que les anisotropies générées par les OPRs de ces échantillons sont suffisantes pour expliquer les anisotropies mesurées par les ondes SKS et les ondes de surface.Les xénolites de la Divergence Nord-Tanzanienne, montrent des variations significatives de microstructures et d'OPR de l'olivine entre les péridotites des localités dans l'axe du rift et celles de la chaîne volcanique transverse (Lashaine et Olmani). A Lashaine, les microstructures granulaires à gros grains et les OPRs de type orthorhombique et axial-[010] peuvent être expliquée par une déformation en transpression liée à la formation de la chaîne Mozambique ou par la présence d'une relique d'un domaine cratonique à l'intérieur de la chaîne Mozambique. Dans l'axe du rift, les microstructures porphyroclastiques à mylonitiques suggèrent une déformation plus récente, accompagnée de réactions magma-roche sous des conditions proches du solidus, suivie d'un recuit variable. L'hétérogénéité des microstructures enregistrées par les échantillons du rift suggère de multiples épisodes de déformation localisée, probablement liés à l'injection percolation épisodique de magmas, espacés de périodes d'accalmie. Les OPRs de l'olivine de type axial-[100] et l'orientation des directions de polarisation des ondes SKS suggère que le rift s'est formé en régime de transtension Les péridotites du Sud-Est de l’Éthiopie présentent des microstructures porphyroclastiques à gros grains moins recristallisées qu'en Tanzanie. Les microstructures et les OPRs principalement de type orthorhombique suggèrent une déformation syn- à post-métasomatisme. Les anisotropies de polarisation des ondes S calculées pour ces échantillons sont insuffisantes pour expliquer à elles seules les déphasages des ondes SKS dans cette partie du rift
This study provides additional constraints on the relations between deformation, hydration and percolation of fluids and melts in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath a craton and a rift, as well as their implication on its geodynamical behaviour. I have analysed the microstructures, the CPOs, and the hydrogen content of mantle xenoliths from the Kaapvaal craton, and two sets of xenoliths from different localities along the East African Rift (North Tanzanian Divergence and SE Ethiopia). The coarse-granular microstructures and the well-defined CPOs in Kaapvaal peridotites suggest a deformation followed by a long quiescence time. Orthorhombic olivine CPOs predominates, but axial-[100] and axial-[010] are also measured. Cratonic peridotites record multiple metasomatic episodes, leading to a significant compositional heterogeneity, which cannot be imaged by seismic studies. Olivine hydrogen contents are variable, but tend to increase until 150 km depth, reaching up to 50 ppm wt. H2O. The deeper samples are almost dry. Piston-cylinder experiments on hydrogen diffusion between a volatile-rich kimberlitic melt and forsterite suggest that the presence of CO2 in the system could significantly decrease water fugacity and thus forsterite hydration. These experimental results indicate that the hydrogen contents measured in olivine were acquired during a metasomatic event rather than during xenolith extraction by kimberlites. However, this metasomatism was not followed by remobilization of the cratonic root. In the North Tanzanian Divergence, localities within the rift axis and the volcanic transverse belt (Lashaine and Olmani) show significant differences in microstructures and olivine CPO patterns. In Lashaine, coarse-granular microstructures and orthorhombic to axial-[100] CPO patterns in olivine can be explained by transpressional deformation during the formation of the Mozambique belt, or by the occurrence of a remnant of a cratonic domain embedded within the Mozambique belt. Within the rift axis, porphyroclastic to mylonitic microstructures suggest a recent rift-related deformation accompanied by syn-kinematic melt-rock reactions, and followed by variable annealing. The strong heterogeneity in microstructures and olivine CPO suggests that this deformation was acquired during multiple tectonic events probably linked to episodic magma percolation, separated by quiescence episodes. The axial-[100] patterns in olivine and the oblique fast directions reported by SKS studies are coherent with transtensional deformation within the lithospheric mantle beneath the rift. The peridotites from SE Ethiopia are less recrystallized than the rift-axis Tanzanian peridotites, displaying coarse-porphyroclastic microstructures. Microstructures and orthorhombic CPOs in olivine suggest syn- to post-metasomatic deformation. S-waves polarization anisotropies calculated for these samples cannot explain alone the delay times reported by SKS studies in this part of the East-African Rift

Cette thèse regroupe deux études distinctes, qui documentent le contrôle des microstructures sur les propriétés sismiques des roches. La première partie traite du développement des orientations préférentielles cristallographiques (OPC) dans le manteau supérieur, associé aux interactions liquide/magma-roche, enregistré dans des xénolites de péridotites du bassin d'arrière-arc de la mer du Japon. Les caractéristiques microstucturales et géochimiques des échantillons étudiés montrent que l'ouverture arrière-arc active est associée à une déformation du manteau supérieure similaire à celle observée dans l'ophiolite d'Oman. L'initiation de l'extension d'arrière-arc n'est pas associée à de fortes interactions entre percolation magmatique et déformation, en comparaison avec les zones de rifting continentales, probablement en raison des taille et durée relativement petites de l'épisode d'ouverture. La seconde partie présente une base de données unique d'OPC de plagioclase de roches mafiques plus ou moins déformées. Les OPC sont classées en 3 types principaux; leurs caractéristiques en fonction du régime de déformation (magmatique ou plastique) sont présentées et discutées. Les propriétés sismiques calculées des roches gabbroiques montrent que l'anisotropie tend à croitre avec l'intensité des fabriques, bien qu'elle soit généralement faible, en raison des effets opposés des olivines/clinopyroxènes et du plagioclase
This thesis compiles two distinct studies that both document the control of microstructures on rock seismic properties. The first part deals with the development of crystallographic preferred orientations (CPO) in the uppermost mantle associated with melt/fluid-rock interactions, recorded in peridotites xenoliths from the Japan sea back-arc basin. The microstructural and geochemical characteristics of the studied samples reveal that active spreading is associated to uppermost mantle deformation similar to that observed in the Oman ophiolite. At the onset of back-arc spreading, there are no strong interactions between melt percolation and deformation in comparison to continental rift zones, probably due to the relatively small size and short duration of the spreading event. The second part presents a unique database of plagioclase CPO from variously deformed mafic rocks. CPO are grouped in three main types; their characteristics as a function of deformation regime (magmatic or crystal-plastic) are outlined and discussed. Calculated seismic properties of gabbroic rocks show that anisotropy tends to increase as a function of fabric strength, although it is generally weak, due to the competing effect of olivine/clinopyroxene and plagioclase

La formation du continent sud américain résulte d'une histoire complexe étalée sur plus de 3.5 Ga. Les processus qui ont façonné le continent ont impliqué l'intégralité de la lithosphère. La structure du manteau supérieur a été étudiée à l'échelle du continent en réalisant un modèle tomographique en ondes de surface, tandis qu'une étude du déphasage des ondes de cisaillement a permis d'appréhender la structure du manteau supérieur sous le sud-est du Brésil.
La tomographie sismique anisotrope en ondes de surface donne une image de la structure en vitesse du manteau supérieur sous le continent et les océans environnants. Une bonne corrélation existe entre les grandes structures géologiques et les hétérogénéités de vitesse. L'anisotropie des ondes de Rayleigh suggère une absence de déformation à grande échelle au-delà de 200 km de profondeur, ce qui contraint verticalement la source de l'anisotropie mise en évidence au sud-est du Brésil. L'étude du déphasage des ondes de cisaillement y a révélé une orientation dominante du plan de polarisation de l'onde quasi-S rapide, parallèle aux chaînes péricratoniques. Un déphasage entre les ondes S rapide et lente supérieur à 2s a été mesuré à l'aplomb des décrochements majeurs. Une telle amplitude suggère que : 1) les décrochements traversent la lithosphère, 2) la lithosphère est caractérisée par une très forte anisotropie intrinsèque, 3) l'asthénosphère contribue au déphasage, par la présence de deux couches ou d'une fabrique tectonique cohérente entre lithosphère et asthénosphère, impliquant une absence de découplage depuis le Néoprotérozoïque.
Une modélisation numérique tridimensionnelle de la déformation lithosphérique a permis d'étudier le couplage mécanique entre la croûte et le manteau supérieur, ainsi que la localisation de la déformation en termes de développement de zones de cisaillement.

Le travail réalisé pendant cette thèse a permis d'apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur le développement et la distribution de la déformation dans le manteau supérieur et plus particulièrement au niveau des grandes limites de plaques décrochantes. Grâce à l'apport de l'expérience USArray et d'une dizaine d'années d'enregistrements sismologiques supplémentaires, nous avons pu étudier, de manière précise, les variations d'anisotropie dans le voisinage de la Faille de San Andreas. Nous avons confirmé et étendu l'observation de deux couches anisotropes sous cette limite de plaque. On y observe une première couche localisée dans la lithosphère marquant la déformation induite à la limite de plaque, et une autre, asthénosphérique, cohérente avec l'anisotropie observée loin de la faille et d'origine plus discutée. Nous avons montré que la zone de déformation associée aux failles de San Andreas, Calaveras et d'Hayward a, vraisemblablement, une largeur d'au moins 40 kilomètres en base de lithosphère, sous chacune de ces failles. Nous avons ensuite procédé à la modélisation thermomécanique (ADELI) de la migration d'une limite de plaques décrochante couplée à une modélisation du développement de fabriques cristallographiques par une approche viscoplastique auto-cohérente (VPSC). Ceci nous a permis d'y observer le développement de la déformation et les conséquences des possibles interactions entre la déformation décrochante en surface et le cisaillement en base de lithosphère dû au déplacement horizontal des plaques. Les propriétés élastiques déduites des fabriques cristallographiques modélisées montrent que de telles interactions existent et provoquent, sous la limite de plaques, une rotation des orientations cristallographiques avec la profondeur. Le signal associé à ces rotations progressives n'est toutefois pas cohérent avec la présence de deux couches d'anisotropie comme proposée sous la faille de San Andreas. Nous pensons par conséquent qu'il existe, sous la Californie, une zone de découplage entre la lithosphère et l'asthénosphère, permettant d'individualiser une déformation lithosphérique d'une déformation asthénosphérique. Nous estimons, en outre, que l'anisotropie observée dans l'asthénosphère sous la Californie ne peut être expliquée seulement par le cisaillement induit par le déplacement de la lithosphère Nord Amérique. En effet, les propriétés anisotropes obtenues par modélisation à partir d'une plaque se déplaçant dans une direction et une vitesse proche de celle de la plaque Amérique du Nord montrent qu'on ne peut espérer guère plus que quelques dixièmes de seconde de délai au bout de 10 Ma de déplacement. Les déphasages mesurés en Californie étant de l'ordre de 1,5 s, il est donc nécessaire d'invoquer la présence d'écoulements mantelliques actifs sous cette région
This work provides new constraints on the development and on the distribution of the deformation in the upper mantle and particularly beneath transform plate boundaries. USArray experiment and the remarkable increase of the dataset in California for the past ten years allowed us to scrutinize the lateral variations of the anisotropy in the vicinity of the San Andreas Fault zone. We have confirmed and increased the detection of two layers of anisotropy beneath this plate boundary. The first layer, located in the lithosphere, is related to the deformation induced at the fault, and the other one, located in the asthenosphere, is coherent with the anisotropy observed far from it, its origin is however less clear. We show that the deformation zone associated both to the San Andreas, Calaveras and Hayward Faults, is likely 40 km wide at 70 km depth. We then performed numerical thermomechanical modeling (ADELI) of the displacement of a transform plate boundary associated with the computation of the development of crystallographic fabrics using a viscoplastic self-consistent approach (VPSC). We analyzed the distribution of the deformation in the model ant looked after the possible interactions at depth between deformation caused at surface by the strike-slip dynamic of the fault and the shearing at the base of the lithosphere caused by the horizontal displacement of the plates. Elastic properties derived from the crystallographic fabrics modeled, show that such interactions exist and induce, beneath the fault zone, a progressive rotation of the crystallographic fabrics with depth. Seismological signature of these smooth rotations is however not relevant with the presence of two anisotropic layers as proposed beneath California. We thus consider that a decoupling zone exists between the lithosphere and the asthenosphere beneath the California to account for the sharp separation between a lithospheric and an asthenospheric deformation. We furthermore estimate that anisotropy observed far form the San Andreas Fault in California cannot be explained only by the drag of the asthenosphere by the North America lithosphere as proposed in our article. Indeed, we can only expect few tenths of second of splitting delay from the anisotropic properties derived from the numerical modeling of a plate moving in the same direction and in the same velocity than the North American lithosphere only for 10 Ma of displacement. As delays observed in California rather reach 1.5 s, anisotropy in this region thus requires the existence of an active asthenospheric flow to be explained

Les objectifs de cette these sont de decrire les mecanismes de deformations de la lithosphere en regime compressif, et le controle impose par les parametres mecaniques sur la maniere dont le raccourcissement horizontal est accommode (par la formation de plis, de chevauchements, ou encore par epaississement homogene). Nous avons etudie la nature des instabilites susceptibles de se developper en utilisant des calculs analytiques bases sur la resolution des equations de navier-stokes ainsi que leur evolution pour des taux de deformation importants a partir de modeles analogiques et de calculs numeriques par la methode des elements finis. Les calculs analytiques ont permis de determiner l'influence des differents parametres mecaniques de la lithosphere sur le developpement d'instabilites. En domaine oceanique, le raccourcissement est essentiellement accommode par la formation de plis affectant l'ensemble de la lithosphere. Les parties fragiles de la lithosphere et les contrastes de densite controlent la croissance des instabilites. Deux series d'experiences analogiques ont ensuite permis de confirmer les resultats precedents et d'etudier l'evolution tridimensionnelle d'instabilites lithospheriques apres l'apparition de la fracturation. En domaine continental, le passe tectonique et les heterogeneites mecaniques qui en resultent joue un role essentiel pour l'initiation des plis. Les heterogeneites initiales peuvent favoriser l'apparition de failles aux depends des plis de grandes longueurs d'onde puis la subsidence des portions de lithosphere ainsi delimitees. Les structures ainsi formees s'apparentent a des bassins compressifs. Leur longueur d'onde reste cependant controlee en partie par celle des plis lithospheriques. Ces resultats ont ete completes par des calculs numeriques bases sur la methode des elements finis. Les plis ne se developpent qu'apres plastification complete des parties fragiles de la lithosphere oceanique ou continentale.

En etudiant la propagation des ondes de volume, nous pouvons d'une part caracteriser les variations brutales des proprietes physiques des materiaux et d'autre part evaluer l'anisotropie du manteau. Plusieurs traitements ont ete appliques aux fonctions de transfert obtenues a partir des enregistrements du reseau tgrs installe a partir de 1995 dans le sud des alpes francaises et la corse. Afin de completer les donnees, nous avons deploye des stations temporaires dans le cadre du programme geofrance 3d. L'etude conjointe de la forme des composantes longitudinales et transverses de ces fonctions a permis de mettre en evidence une croute anormalement fine, sous l'extreme sud-est de la france, accompagnee d'une geometrie complexe de l'interface croute/manteau. Nous montrons egalement les fortes variations de profondeur des principales discontinuites du manteau superieur entre le sud de l'europe occidentale et l'afrique du nord. Nous observons ainsi un approfondissement significatif de la discontinuite 410 entre les alpes maritimes et le sud algerien tandis que dans un meme temps, l'interface 670 s'eleve d'une trentaine de kilometres. Les donnees sismologiques acquises lors de la campagne broadves nous ont permis d'observer un pendage vers le nord-est du moho sous la region du vesuve (italie). D'autre part, un deuxieme reflecteur plus profond est interprete comme la trace fossile d'une subduction europeenne. Dans le sud des alpes occidentales, l'analyse de l'anisotropie du manteau est menee a partir de l'observation de la birefringence des ondes sks. Les resultats obtenus aux stations sont tres homogenes mais ne correspondent pas au mouvement absolu des plaques predit par le modele nnr-nuvel1. La direction de l'axe rapide n10\ refleterait ainsi la deformation de la lithosphere et non la direction d'ecoulement du manteau a sa base. Le delai moyen obtenu permet d'estimer l'epaisseur de la zone anisotrope a 130 kilometres.

Au niveau d'une zone transformante atypique se situant au sud-ouest de l'Islande, une série de séismes majeurs (MW = 6,5) s'est produite en juin 2000. De nombreuses données InSAR et GPS couvrent les différentes phases d'un cycle sismique. L'utilisation d'un code de calcul numérique fondé sur une méthode d'éléments finis a permis d'explorer les influences sur la déformation des hétérogénéités présentes au niveau de la zone sismique sud islandaise. Dans la phase co-sismique, l'hypothèse majeure est la rigidification de la lithosphère avec la profondeur. Dans la phase post-sismique, la géométrie des couches rhéologiques a également une influence, ainsi que l'étude simultanée des différents processus associés (relaxations visco- et poro-élastique, afterslip...). Enfin, la répartition asymétrique des contraintes lors de la phase inter-sismique due à l'amincissement de la croûte vers l'ouest semble être un facteur essentiel pour expliquer la migration est-ouest observée dans la sismicité

Common brown colour in natural diamond forms by plastic deformation during storage in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Dislocation movement generates vacancies, which aggregate into clusters of perhaps 30–60 vacancies. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) support such vacancy clusters as the cause of brown colour. Brief treatment in a high-pressure–high-temperature (HPHT) vessel at 1800–2700 °C can destroy the brown colour. There has been speculation that similar colour removal should occur continuously at depth in the SCLM. Diamonds are stored at 900–1400 °C in the SCLM, according to inclusion thermometry. The effect of temperature on the time required to destroy brown colour has been calculated from published data. The activation energy for the breakup of vacancy clusters is a critical component. The time required to destroy brown colour in the SCLM is significant at the scale of geological time. Brown diamonds should easily maintain their colour for millions of years during cooler mantle storage at or below about 1000 °C. Warmer temperatures toward the base of the lithosphere may be able to reduce or eliminate brown colour within thousands of years. The survival of brown colour in the lithospheric mantle does not require the colour to be formed late in the storage history nor does it require metastable storage in the graphite stability field. Crystal strain is preserved upon loss of brown colour during HPHT treatment. Inhomogeneous crystal strain was measured in 18 natural diamonds using micro-X-ray diffraction (μXRD) χ-dimension peak widths. There is a correlation between strain and depth of brown colour. None of the colourless diamonds examined have high strain, as should be expected for a diamond that has gained and lost brown colour. This suggests that removal of brown colour is not a common natural occurrence. Infrared spectroscopy was used to determine nitrogen concentration and aggregation state in 60 natural diamonds. A loose association was found between brown colour and lower total nitrogen content. Within single diamonds, regions with less nitrogen tend to exhibit more anomalous birefringence due to strain. Colour zoned diamonds tend to have less nitrogen in the darker brown regions. This supports the hypothesis that diamonds with less nitrogen are more susceptible to plastic deformation and the development of brown colour.
Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-17 17:10:11.078

碩士
國立臺灣大學
海洋研究所
104
The Longitudinal Valley (LV) is the suture zone between the Eurasian plate (EUP) and the Philippine Sea plate (PSP). The northern tip of the LV (near Hualien city) is the junction point where the collision evolves northward to a subduction of the PSP under the EUP. As a result, a high seismic activity is observed along the LV. In the northern tip of the LV, we identified four distinct seismic clusters since 1990 based on the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). We restrict our effort on two of them that distributed on most of the northern part of the LV. The first seismic crisis is triggered by a doublet of events (ML 6.5 and 6.7) on 13rd December, 1990, and the second crisis occurs in 2012 with a main shock of ML 5.3 on 14th June. The 2012 seismic crisis may be re-activated at the southern segment of the 1990 earthquake sequence. For the seismic crisis in 1990, a campaign seismic network of 15 accelerometers – the Hualien Temporary Seismic Network (HTSN) is deployed 3 days after the first main shock during 2 months to detect the aftershocks. For the seismic crisis in 2012, the data set is recorded by Free Field Strong Earthquake Observation Network from Geophysical Database Management System, CWB. We retrieved focal mechanism solutions (FMS) of 50 aftershocks in 1990 and 37 earthquakes in 2012 with local magnitude ranging from 2.5 to 5.0 by waveform inversion using the near-field component of seismic waveforms. A modified version of the Program FMNEAR is adopted in this study. In this method, a double grid-search is applied upon determining FMS parameters while rake value is lately tuned by a simulated annealing algorithm. Waveform adjustments are improved by depth optimization and a specific 1D velocity model for each station. A modified version of the FMNEAR has been proven efficiently to retrieve FMS for the small-to-moderate earthquakes with a limited number of stations. For both of the earthquake sequences, focal depths are in average 10 km deeper than the depth provided by the CWB catalog. Both FMS from 1990 and 2012 clusters can be classified into three groups according to their mechanisms and P- and T-axis. The main groups (with a higher number of events) display homogeneous FMS, mostly reverse in type that we believe illustrate the behavior of the main-fault that generate both the doublet of 1990 and the 2012 events. FMS of these main group displays a similar strike as the valley and one of the nodal planes dip eastward as the plate boundary between the EUP and the PSP. For the other groups, show variety amongst FMS, are the fault branches of the main-fault. We conclude that the Longitudinal Valley Fault, the effective plate boundary, displays a variety FMS came from additional fault systems from North to South despite its segmentation and variation of activity.

Differentiation of the lithospheric mantle occurred principally through partial melting and extraction of melts. Harzburgites are generally considered as melting residues whereas lherzolites are regarded as pristine mantle weakly affected by melting. However, some orogenic peridotites show evidence of igneous refertilization. In this context, this work re-investigates the nature of the Lherz lherzolites (Pyrenees), type-locality of lherzolites, described as a piece of preserved fertile mantle. Structural and geochemical data show that these lherzolites are not pristine but formed through a refertilization reaction between MORB-like melts and refractory lithosphere. Moreover, the Lherz peridotites were partly used to infer the composition of the primitive upper mantle and these results may have important implications for the nature of the late veneer. Additionally, crystal-preferred orientations of minerals (CPO) highlight a strong feedback between melt percolation and finite strain in the percolated rocks. CPO variations are ruled by a subtle balance between instantaneous melt fraction and local strain rate. This work also investigated the effect of melt percolation on Hf, Nd and Sr isotopes. Isotope systematics in Lherz shows that strong isotopic decoupling may arise in a percolation front. The modelling suggests that decoupled isotopic signatures are generated during porous flow and governed by the melt/matrix elements concentrations, chemical diffusivities or efficiency of isotopic homogenization. Melt-rock interactions can generate “intraplate-like” isotopic signatures. This suggests that a part of isotopic signatures of mantle-related rocks could be generated by diffusional processes associated with melt transport.

The thesis addresses selected problems related to localized deformation of the solid Earth’s lithosphere that stem from non-uniform strengths or emerge from non-linear rheologies. A new code has been developed to model the spontaneous localization through strain-weakening plasticity. A code coupling technique is introduced as an attempt to efficiently solve multi-material and multi-physics problems like crust-mantle interactions.

We first address a problem of localized deformation that is caused by pre-existing heterogeneities. Specifically, the effects of laterally varying viscous strength on the Cenozoic extension of the northern Basin and Range are investigated using numerical models. Three-dimensional viscous flow models with imposed plate motions and localized zones of low viscosity show that strain rates are concentrated in weak zones with adjacent blocks experiencing little deformation. This result can explain the geodetically discovered concentrated strain in the eastern part of the northern Basin and Range as the high strains are a response to far field plate motions within a locally less viscous mantle. The low viscosity of mantle is consistent with the low seismic velocities in the region.

As an instance of spontaneously emergent localized deformations, brittle deformations in oceanic lithosphere are investigated next. We developed a Lagrangian finite difference code, SNAC, to investigate this class of problems. Brittle deformations are modeled as localized plastic strain. The detailed algorithm of SNAC is presented in Appendix A.

The spacing of fracture zones in oceanic lithosphere is numerically explored. Numerical models represent a ridge-parallel cross-section of young oceanic lithosphere. An elasto-visco-plastic rheology can induce brittle deformation or creep according to the local temperature. The spacing of localized plastic zones, corresponding to fracture zones, decreases as crustal thickness increases. The stronger creep strength raises the threshold value of crustal thickness: If the crust is thinner than the threshold, the brittle deformation can evolve into primary cracks. Plastic flow rules are parametrized by the dilation angle. If the dilatational deformation is allowed in the plastic flow rules (dilation angle>0°), the primary cracks tend to be vertical; otherwise, a pair of primary cracks form a graben. The modeling results are compatible with the correlation between crustal thickness and the spacing of fracture zones found in different regions such as the Reykjanes ridge and the Australian Antarctic Discordance.

Three-dimensional (3D) numerical models are used to find the mechanics responsible for the various patterns made by the segments of the mid-ocean ridges and the structures connecting them. The models are initially loaded with thermal stresses due to the cooling of oceanic lithosphere and prescribed plate motions. The two driving forces are comparable in magnitude and the thermal stresses can exert ridge-parallel forces when selectively released by ridges and ridge-parallel structure. Represented by localized plastic strain, ridge segments interact in two different modes as they propagate towards each other: An overlapping mode where ridge segments overlap and bend toward each other and a connecting mode where two ridge segments are connected by a transform-like fault. As the ratio of thermal stress to spreading-induced stress (γ) increases, the patterns of localized plastic strain change from the overlapping to connecting mode. Rate effects are taken into account by the spreading rate normalized by a reference-cooling rate (Pe′) and the ratio of thermal stress to the reference spreading-induced stresses (γ′). The stability fields of the two modes are unambiguously defined by Pe′ paired with γ'.

Crust and mantle are distinct in terms of composition and rheology. To study the combined response of crust and mantle, it is necessary to solve multi-material and multi-physics problems that are numerically challenging. As an efficient way of solving such a problem, we introduce a code coupling technique. We adapt Pyre, a framework allowing distinct codes to exchange variables through shared interfaces, to the coupling of SNAC, a Lagrangian code for lithospheric dynamics, and CitcomS, an Eulerian code for mantle convection. The continuity of velocities and tractions and no-slip conditions are imposed on the interfaces. The benchmarks against analytic solutions to the bending of a thin plate verifies that SNAC gives an accurate solution for the given traction boundary condition. It is also shown that Pyre can correctly handle the data exchanges at the interfaces. In a preliminary high-resolution model, an elasto-visco-plastic lithosphere is coupled to a Newtonian viscous mantle. This coupled model shows a steady growth of dome in the lithosphere directly above a hot sphere placed in the mantle. However, the two coupled codes incur unnecessarily high numerical costs because they use different methods for time integration.