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1.
Large (> 100 km) meteorite impact cratering events play important roles in surface and biosphere evolution, however, their potential for widespread ductile modification of the lithosphere has been difficult to assess, due partly to our inability to isotopically age-correlate deep mineral fabrics with surface records. We have integrated benchmark U–Pb zircon dating methods (ID-TIMS, SHRIMP) with new microstructural techniques (EBSD, µXRD) to demonstrate that crystal–plastic deformation can cause rapid out-diffusion of radiogenic Pb and accompanying trace element alteration in crystalline zircon. We have used this phenomenon to directly date fabric in Archean zircons and xenoliths of the lower crust of South Africa at 2023 ± 15 million years, coeval with the 2020 ± 3 million year old Vredefort cratering event at surface, with extent ≥ 20,000 km2. Our findings indicate that regional exogenic fabrics, similar to high-temperature tectonic fabrics, exist in ancient crust. Moreover, our results establish that crystal-plastic deformation in the lithosphere can now be directly dated and linked to planetary evolution by zircon U–Pb strain chronometry.  相似文献   

2.
Peak lithospheric strength should reside in the rocks that, under the applied stress, cannot either creep (due to low temperature) or break (due to high confining pressure). The greatest resistance comes from dry olivine/pyroxene-rich upper mantle/lowermost crust at Moho conditions (400–600 °C and > 1 GPa). We have conducted laboratory experiments to investigate the importance of the unbreakable core of the lithosphere in between its brittle and ductile parts and conclude that it can control the large-scale lithospheric deformation pattern under shortening. Regardless of the thickness of the unbreakable core, it acts as a restraining layer that is easily flexed but is unstretchable. This eliminates large scale brittle faulting or homogeneous thickening as available shortening modes and results in irregular wrinkling of the unbreakable layer. We discuss geodynamic implications of our laboratory experiments and advocate studies of large scale buckling of the lithosphere as a relevant shortening mode.  相似文献   

3.
《Journal of Geodynamics》2007,43(4-5):95-114
A three-dimensional model for the central Fennoscandian Shield was constructed for analysing the thermal, the rheological and the structural conditions in the lithosphere. The mesh covers a rectangular area in the southern Finland with horizontal dimensions of 500 km × 400 km and a depth extent of 100 km. Structural boundaries are derived from the several deep seismic soundings carried out in the area. Constructed model is first used in the calculation of the thermal and the rheological models and secondly in analysing the stress and the deformational conditions with the obtained rheology. Thermal and structural models are solved with the finite element method. The calculated surface HFD is between 40 and 48 mW m−2 in the Proterozoic southern part and below 40 mW m−2 in the older and northern Archaean part of the model. The calculated rheological strength shows a layered structure with two individual rheologically weak layers in the crust and strong layer in the upper part of the lower crust. The minimum brittle–ductile transition (BDT) depth is around 10 km in the southern part of the model while in the north and north-eastern parts the BDT depth is around 45–50 km. Comparison with the focal depth data shows that as most of the earthquakes occur no deeper than the depth of 10 km are they located in the brittle regime. Resulting stress conditions and possible regions of deformation after the model is subjected to pressure of 50 MPa reveals that the stress field is quite uniformly distributed in different crustal layers and that the elastic parameters control more the state of the stress than the applied rheological structure. In the upper crust, the stress intensity has values between 42 and 45 MPa whereas in the middle crust the values are around 50 MPa. Comparison of the 3-D model with earlier 2-D models shows that some differences in the results are to be expected.  相似文献   

4.
The brittle/ductile transition is a major rheologic boundary in the crust yet little is known about how or if rates of tectonic processes are influenced by this boundary. In this study we examine the slip history of the large-scale Naxos/Paros extensional fault system (NPEFS), Cyclades, Greece, by comparing published slip rates for the ductile crust with new thermochronological constraints on slip rates in the brittle regime. Based on apatite and zircon fission-track (AFT and ZFT) and (U–Th)/He dating we observe variable slip rates across the brittle/ductile transition on Naxos. ZFT and AFT ages range from 11.8 ± 0.8 to 9.7 ± 0.8 Ma and 11.2 ± 1.6 to 8.2 ± 1.2 Ma and (U–Th)/He zircon and apatite ages are between 10.4 ± 0.4 to 9.2 ± 0.3 Ma and 10.7 ± 1.0 to 8.9 ± 0.6 Ma, respectively. On Paros, ZFT and AFT ages range from 13.1 ± 1.4 Ma to 11.1 ± 1.0 Ma and 12.7 ± 2.8 Ma to 10.5 ± 2.0 Ma while the (U–Th)/He zircon ages are slightly younger between 8.3 ± 0.4 Ma and 9.8 ± 0.3 Ma. All ages consistently decrease northwards in the direction of hanging wall transport. Most of our new thermochronological results and associated thermal modeling more strongly support the scenario of an identical fault dip and a constant or slightly accelerating slip rate of ∼ 6–8 km Myr− 1 on the NPEFS across the brittle/ductile transition. Even the intrusion of a large granodiorite body into the narrowing fault zone at ∼ 12 Ma on Naxos does not seem to have affected the thermal structure of the area in a way that would significantly disturb the slip rate. The data also show that the NPEFS accomplished a minimum total offset of ∼ 50 km between ∼ 16 and 8 Ma.  相似文献   

5.
For many years, the study on ductile shearing zones mainly focuses on the strain analysis and the characteristics of microcosmic structure of felsic duc-tile shearing zones in deep layers (8—10 km). Discus-sions on the process of the development of small-type and mini-size ductile shearing zones have been re-ported in recent years[1,2]. 揇uctile deformations in brittle deformation擺3] and 揵rittle deformations in ductile deformation擺4] are rather a familiar phenome-non in nature. Researchin…  相似文献   

6.
Long Valley Caldera is an active volcanic region in east central California. Surface deformation on the resurgent dome within the caldera was an order of magnitude higher for the five-month period September 1997 through January 1998 compared to the previous three-year average. However, the location of the immediate (shallow) source of deformation remained essentially constant, 5–7 km beneath the dome, near the top of a region of probable magma accumulation defined by seismic data. Similarly, although the rate of seismic moment release increased dramatically, earthquake locations remained similar to earlier periods. The rate of deformation increased exponentially between April–May 1997 and late November 1997 with a time constant of ∼55–65 days, after which it decreased exponentially with about the same time constant. We develop a model consistent with these observations and also consistent with independent constraints on sub-surface rheology from thermal, geochemical and laboratory data. Deformation at sites on the resurgent dome most sensitive to the shallow deformation source are well fit by a model with a single pressure source at 6 km depth which experienced a pressure pulse that began in late 1996, peaked in November 1997, close to the time of major seismic moment release, and essentially ended in mid-1999. The pressure source in our model is surrounded by a 1 km thick “shell” of Maxwell viscoelastic material (shell viscosity 1016 Pa s) within an elastic half space, and has peak values that are much lower than corresponding purely elastic half space models. The shell viscosity is characteristic of a weak, deformable solid, e.g. quartz-bearing country rock surrounding the magma chamber at temperatures in the range 500–600°C, i.e. above the brittle–ductile transition, and/or largely crystallized rhyolite near its solidus temperature of ∼670°C, material that probably exists near the top of the zoned magma chamber at Long Valley.  相似文献   

7.
We report experimental observation of a sizable elastic anisotropy in a polycrystalline sample of ferromagnesian silicate in post-perovskite (ppv) structure. Using a novel composite X-ray transparent gasket to contain and synthesize ppv in a panoramic diamond-anvil cell along with oblique X-ray diffraction geometry, we observed the anisotropic lattice strain and {1 0 0} or {1 1 0} slip-plane texture in the sample at 140 GPa. We deduced the elasticity tensor (cij), orientation-dependent compressional wave velocities, polarization-dependent shear-wave velocities, and the velocity anisotropy of the silicate ppv. Our results are consistent with calculations and indicate that with sufficient preferred orientation, the elastic anisotropy of this phase can produce large shear-wave splitting.  相似文献   

8.
《Journal of Geodynamics》2008,45(3-5):149-159
Locations of the Eger Rift, Cheb Basin, Quaternary volcanoes, crustal earthquake swarms and exhalation centers of CO2 and 3He of mantle origin correlate with the tectonic fabric of the mantle lithosphere modelled from seismic anisotropy. We suggest that positions of the seismic and volcanic phenomena, as well as of the Cenozoic sedimentary basins, correlate with a “triple junction” of three mantle lithospheres distinguished by different orientations of their tectonic fabric consistent within each unit. The three mantle domains most probably belong to the originally separated microcontinents – the Saxothuringian, Teplá-Barrandian and Moldanubian – assembled during the Variscan orogeny. Cenozoic extension reactivated the junction and locally thinned the crust and mantle lithosphere. The rigid part of the crust, characterized by the presence of earthquake foci, decoupled near the junction from the mantle probably during the Variscan. The boundaries (transitions) of three mantle domains provided open pathways for Quaternary volcanism and the ascent of 3He- and CO2-rich fluids released from the asthenosphere. The deepest earthquakes, interpreted as an upper limit of the brittle–ductile transition in the crust, are shallower above the junction of the mantle blocks (at about 12 km) than above the more stable Saxothuringian mantle lithosphere (at about 20 km), probably due to a higher heat flow and presence of fluids.  相似文献   

9.
In this work we have modeled the thermal structure of the lithosphere of the Spanish Central System and the Tajo Basin, and their implications for lithospheric strength. For this, we have used refined heat-producing elements (HPE) values to obtain new estimates of heat production rates in the Spanish Central System and Tajo Basin areas, which have been used joined to the relation between topography and thermal structure of the lithosphere to calculate the best-fit surface heat flows in the study area. Moreover, we have implemented a temperature-dependent thermal conductivity (appropriate for olivine) for the lithospheric mantle to improve the calculations of temperature profiles in the mantle. The geotherms so obtained, together with the implementation of a new rheological law for the upper lithospheric mantle, have been used to calculate refined estimations of the strength and effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere. We have obtained surface heat flow values of 84 mW m−2 and ∼82 mW m−2 for the Spanish Central System and the Tajo Basin, respectively. The thermal state of the lithosphere affects mantle temperatures, and hence may be playing an important role in the uplift and maintenance of the Spanish Central System.  相似文献   

10.
We report here the first detailed 2D tomographic image of the crust and upper mantle structure of a Cretaceous seamount that formed during the interaction of the Pacific plate and the Louisville hotspot. Results show that at ～ 1.5 km beneath the seamount summit, the core of the volcanic edifice appears to be dominantly intrusive, with velocities faster than 6.5 km/s. The edifice overlies both high lower crustal (> 7.2–7.6 km/s) and upper mantle (> 8.3 km/s) velocities, suggesting that ultramafic rocks have been intruded as sills rather than underplated beneath the crust. The results suggest that the ratio between the volume of intra-crustal magmatic intrusion and extrusive volcanism is as high as ～ 4.5. In addition, the inversion of Moho reflections shows that the Pacific oceanic crust has been flexed downward by up to ～ 2.5 km beneath the seamount. The flexure can be explained by an elastic plate model in which the seamount emplaced upon oceanic lithosphere that was ～ 10 Myr at the time of loading. Intra-crustal magmatic intrusion may be a feature of hotspot volcanism at young, hot, oceanic lithosphere, whereas, magmatic underplating below a pre-existing Moho may be more likely to occur where a hotspot interacts with oceanic lithosphere that is several tens of millions of years old.  相似文献   

11.
In order to better understand the nature and formation of oceanic lithosphere beneath the Early Cretaceous Ontong Java Plateau, Re–Os isotopes have been analysed in a suite of peridotite xenoliths from Malaita, Solomon Islands. Geological, thermobarometric and petrological evidence from previous studies reveal that the xenoliths represent virtually the entire thickness of the southern part of subplateau lithospheric mantle (< 120 km). This study demonstrates that vertical Os isotopic variations correlate with compositional variations in a stratified lithosphere. The shallowest plateau lithosphere (< 85 km) is dominated by fertile lherzolites showing a restricted range of 187Os/188Os (0.1222 to 0.1288), consistent with an origin from ~ 160 Ma Pacific lithosphere. In contrast, the basal section of subplateau lithospheric mantle (~ 95–120 km) is enriched in refractory harzburgites with highly unradiogenic 187Os/188Os ratios ranging from 0.1152 to 0.1196, which yield Proterozoic model ages of 0.9–1.7 Ga. Although the whole range of Os isotope compositions of Malaita peridotites is within the variations seen in modern abyssal peridotites, the contrasting isotopic compositions of shallow and deep plateau lithosphere suggest their derivation from different mantle reservoirs. We propose that the subplateau lithosphere forms a genetically unrelated two-layered structure, comprising shallower, typical oceanic lithosphere underpinned by deeper impinged material, which included a component of recycled Proterozoic lithosphere. The impingement of residual but chemically heterogeneous mantle, mechanically coupled to the recently formed, thin lithosphere, may have a bearing on the anomalous initial uplift and late subsidence history of the seismically anomalous plateau root.  相似文献   

12.
The Kachchh province of Western India is a major seismic domain in an intraplate set-up. This seismic zone is located in a rift basin, which was developed during the early Jurassic break-up of the Gondwanaland. The crustal strain determined from the GPS velocity data of post-seismic time period following the 2001 Bhuj earthquake indicates a maximum strain rate of ∼266 × 10−9 per year along N013°. Focal mechanism solutions of the main event of 26 January 2001 and the aftershocks show that the maximum principal stress axis is close to this high strain direction. Maximum shear strain rate determined from the GPS data of the area has similar orientation. The unusually high strain rate is comparable in magnitude to the continental rift systems. The partitioning of the regional NE–SW horizontal stress (SHmax) by the pre-existing EW-striking boundary fault developed the strike–slip components parallel to the regional faults, the normal components perpendicular to the faults, NE-striking conjugate Riedel shear fractures and tension fractures. The partitioned normal component of the stress is considered to be the major cause for compression across the regional EW faults and development of the second-order conjugate shear fractures striking NE–SW and NW–SE. The NE-striking transverse faults parallel to the anti-Riedel shear planes have become critical under these conditions. These anti-Riedel planes are interpreted to be critical for the seismicity of the Kachchh region. The high strain rate in this area of low to moderate surface heat flow is responsible for deeper position of the brittle–ductile transition and development of deep seated seismic events in this intraplate region.  相似文献   

13.
In view of an anomalous crust–mantle structure beneath the 2001 Bhuj earthquake region, double-difference relocations of 1402 aftershocks of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake were determined, using an improved 1D velocity model constructed from 3D velocity tomograms based on data from 10 to 58 three-component seismograph stations. This clearly delineated four major tectonic features: (i) south-dipping north Wagad fault (NWF), (ii and iii) south-dipping south Wagad faults 1 and 2 (SWF1, SWF2), and (iv) a northeast dipping transverse fault (ITF), which is a new find. The relocated aftershocks correlate satisfactorily with the geologically mapped and inferred faults in the epicentral region. The relocated focal depths delineate a marked variation to the tune of 12 km in the brittle–ductile transition depths beneath the central aftershock zone that could be attributed to a lateral variation in crustal composition (more or less mafic) or in the level of fracturing across the fault zone. A fault intersection between the NWF and ITF has been clearly mapped in the 10–20 km depth range beneath the central aftershock zone. It is inferred that large intraplate stresses associated with the fault intersection, deepening of the brittle–ductile transition to a depth of 34 km due to the presence of mafic/ultramafic material in the crust–mantle transition zone, and the presence of aqueous fluids (released during the metamorphic process of eclogitisation of lower crustal olivine-rich rocks) and volatile CO2 at the hypocentral depths, might have resulted in generating the 2001 Bhuj earthquake sequence covering the entire lower crust.  相似文献   

14.
We present fundamental-mode Rayleigh-wave azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity maps obtained for the Great Basin region at periods between 16 s and 102 s. These maps offer the first depth constraints on the origin of the semi-circular shear-wave splitting pattern observed in central Nevada, around a weak azimuthal anisotropy zone. A variety of explanations have been proposed to explain this signal, including an upwelling, toroidal mantle flow around a slab, lithospheric drip, and a megadetachment, but no consensus has been reached. Our phase velocity study helps constrain the three-dimensional anisotropic structure of the upper mantle in this region and contributes to a better understanding of the deformation mechanisms taking place beneath the western United States. The dispersion measurements were made using data from the USArray Transportable Array. At periods of 16 s and 18 s, which mostly sample the crust, we find a region of low anisotropy in central Nevada coinciding with locally reduced phase velocities, and surrounded by a semi-circular pattern of fast seismic directions. Away from central Nevada the fast directions are ～ N–S in the eastern Great Basin, NW–SE in the Walker Lane region, and they transition from E–W to N–S in the northwestern Great Basin. Our short-period phase velocity maps, combined with recent crustal receiver function results, are consistent with the presence of a semi-circular anisotropy signal in the lithosphere in the vicinity of a locally thick crust. At longer periods (28–102 s), which sample the uppermost mantle, isotropic phase velocities are significantly reduced across the study region, and fast directions are more uniform with an ～ E–W fast axis. The transition in phase velocities and anisotropy can be attributed to the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary at depths of ～ 60 km. We interpret the fast seismic directions observed at longer periods in terms of present-day asthenospheric flow-driven deformation, possibly related to a combination of Juan de Fuca slab rollback and eastward-driven mantle flow from the Pacific asthenosphere. Our results also provide context to regional SKS splitting observations. We find that our short-period phase velocity anisotropy can only explain ～ 30% of the SKS splitting times, despite similar patterns in fast directions. This implies that the origin of the regional shear-wave splitting signal is complex and must also have a significant sublithospheric component.  相似文献   

15.
The Forsmark area belongs to the Paleoproterozoic Svecokarelian orogen (c. 1.9–1.8 Ga), the principal geological entity inside the Fennoscandian Shield, and is the site where Sweden has proposed to store its spent nuclear fuel. Three major sub-vertical (at the surface), composite ductile and brittle deformation zones that strike in a WNW or NW direction are present in the area. In between these zones the bedrock is less deformed and considered suitable for a repository. We present reprocessed reflection seismic data from seven profiles in which we have focused on improving the images in the depth range 1–5 km by passing lower frequencies through the processing flow at the cost of poorer resolution in the near-surface realm. The new images indicate that sub-horizontal to moderately dipping structures are possibly more extensive at depth than previously thought. Three main deeper reflective zones have been identified, one that is sub-horizontal and two that dip moderately to the southwest. The sub-horizontal reflective zone may represent a 1.27–1.26 Ga dolerite sill at about 3 km depth. One of the moderately dipping reflective zones may originate either from another dolerite sill or from a brittle fault system. The other moderately dipping structure may be present throughout most of the area and could cut all three sub-vertical deformation zones at depth. The new images and corresponding interpretation do not require a re-evaluation of the Forsmark site for storage of spent fuel, but they do influence how to interpret the deeper structures and, as a consequence, the tectonic evolution of the area.  相似文献   

16.
Two-dimensional crustal velocity models are derived from passive seismic observations for the Archean Karelian bedrock of north-eastern Finland. In addition, an updated Moho depth map is constructed by integrating the results of this study with previous data sets. The structural models image a typical three-layer Archean crust, with thickness varying between 40 and 52 km. P wave velocities within the 12–20 km thick upper crust range from 6.1 to 6.4 km/s. The relatively high velocities are related to layered mafic intrusive and volcanic rocks. The middle crust is a fairly homogeneous layer associated with velocities of 6.5–6.8 km/s. The boundary between middle and lower crust is located at depths between 28 and 38 km. The thickness of the lower crust increases from 5–15 km in the Archean part to 15–22 km in the Archean–Proterozoic transition zone. In the lower crust and uppermost mantle, P wave velocities vary between 6.9–7.3 km/s and 7.9–8.2 km/s. The average Vp/Vs ratio increases from 1.71 in the upper crust to 1.76 in the lower crust.The crust attains its maximum thickness in the south-east, where the Archean crust is both over- and underthrust by the Proterozoic crust. A crustal depression bulging out from that zone to the N–NE towards Kuusamo is linked to a collision between major Archean blocks. Further north, crustal thickening under the Salla and Kittilä greenstone belts is tentatively associated with a NW–SE-oriented collision zone or major shear zone. Elevated Moho beneath the Pudasjärvi block is primarily explained with rift-related extension and crustal thinning at ∼2.4–2.1 Ga.The new crustal velocity models and synthetic waveform modelling are used to outline the thickness of the seismogenic layer beneath the temporary Kuusamo seismic network. Lack of seismic activity within the mafic high-velocity body in the uppermost 8 km of crust and relative abundance of mid-crustal, i.e., 14–30 km deep earthquakes are characteristic features of the Kuusamo seismicity. The upper limit of seismicity is attributed to the excess of strong mafic material in the uppermost crust. Comparison with the rheological profiles of the lithosphere, calculated at nearby locations, indicates that the base of the seismogenic layer correlates best with the onset of brittle to ductile transition at about 30 km depth.We found no evidence on microearthquake activity in the lower crust beneath the Archean Karelian craton. However, a data set of relatively well-constrained events extracted from the regional earthquake catalogue implies a deeper cut-off depth for earthquakes in the Norrbotten tectonic province of northern Sweden.  相似文献   

17.
An improved rheology model, inspired from explicit experiments is conceived to represent rate-dependent cyclic shear behavior of high damping rubber bearings at subzero and room temperatures. Total stress has been decomposed into nonlinear rate independent elasto-plastic stress, nonlinear elastic stress and nonlinear visco-elasto-plastic overstress branches. To represent nonlinear viscosity behavior, ‘overstress branch’ has been generalized by putting linear elastic spring in parallel to nonlinear elasto-plastic model, placed in series with nonlinear dashpot. Constitutive relations for model elements have been designated for respective fundamental phenomenon observed in constant strain rate experiments. An optimum calculation approach is developed to determine a unique set of overstress parameters capable not only of representing constant strain rate cyclic tests but also sinusoidal tests with variable input strain rates. Essential abilities of the proposed model and adequacy of estimated parameters have been confirmed by comparing numerical simulation results with experiments conducted at −30 °C, −10 °C and 23 °C.  相似文献   

18.
Based on the geothermal and gravitation methods, this paper investigated the rheological and thermal structure of the lithosphere under the northern margin of South China Sea. The result shows that the temperature of the upper crust is 150–300°C lower than that of the lower crust, and the viscous coefficient of the upper crust is 2–3 orders of magnitude larger than that of the lower crust. It reveals that the upper crust is characterized by brittle deformation while the lower crust by ductile deformation. A channel of lower-viscosity should be formed between the upper and lower crust when the lithosphere is scattered and spreads out toward ocean from northwest to southeast along the northern margin of South China Sea. And, a brittle deformation takes place in the upper part of the lithosphere while a ductile deformation takes place in the lower part of the lithosphere due to different viscous coefficients and temperature. The layered deformation leads the faulted blocks to rotate along the faulting and the marginal grabens to appear in the northern margin of South China Sea in Cenozoic tectonic expansion.  相似文献   

19.
This paper reports ten new surface heat-flow density (qs) values for central and southern Israel (central Sinai Microplate), whose crystalline crust and lithosphere formed as part of the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield. Heat flow was calculated in Mesozoic sediments using the classical approach of heat-flow determination by implementing in the analysis high-precision continuous temperature logs obtained in air- and/or water-filled boreholes. Thermal conductivity (TC) measured for a large suite of rock samples of lithotypes making up the sequence was assigned to temperature gradients in intervals for which the lithology was known. The heat-flow values obtained for different depth intervals in a borehole as well as the average values for the individual borehole locations cover a narrow range, attesting heat-conduction conditions. A steady-state thermal model along an E–W crustal cross section through the area shows that the observed systematic spatial distribution of the qs values, which range between 50 and 62 mW m−2, can primarily be explained by variations in the thickness of the upper crust and in the ratio between sedimentary and crystalline rocks therein. Given the time lapse of thermal heat transfer through the lithosphere, the qs data monitor the crustal thermal conditions prior to rift- and plume-related lithospheric thermal perturbations that have started in the larger area ca. 30 Ma ago. Observed and modeled qs display the best fit for a pre-Oligocene lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) at ∼150 km, which would be at the upper end of LAB depths determined from stable areas of the Arabian Shield (150–120 km) not affected by the young, deep-seated thermal processes that have caused a further uprise of the LAB. Our data imply or predict that the surface heat flow of the Sinai Microplate generally tends to increase along N–S and W–E traverses, from ∼45–50 mW m−2 to ∼55–60 mW m−2. Surface heat flows on the order of 55–60 mW m−2 may be common in the northern Arabian Shield, where it exhibits typical lithosphere structure and composition and is unaffected by young heating processes, compared to values of ≤45 mW m−2 recently determined in the southern Arabian Plate for the Arabian Platform.  相似文献   

20.
A two-dimensional model for stress accumulation and earthquake instability associated with strike-slip faults is considered. The model consists of an elastic lithosphere overlying a viscous asthenosphere, and a fault of finite width with an upper brittle zone having an elastoplastic response and a lower ductile zone having an elastoviscoplastic response. For the brittle, or seismic, zone the behavior of the fault material is assumed to be governed by a relation which involves strain hardening followed by a softening regime, with strength increasing with depth. For the fault material in the ductile, or aseismic, section, the viscous effect is included through use of a nonlinear creep law, and the strength is assumed to decrease with depth. Hence, because of the lesser strength and the viscous effect, continuous flow occurs at great depths, causing stress accumulation at the upper portion of the fault and leading to failure at the bottom of the brittle zone. The failure is initially due to localized strain softening but, with further flow, the material above the softened zone reaches its maximum strength and begins to soften. This process accelerates and may result in an unstable upward rupture propagation.Relations are developed for the history of deformation within the lithosphere, specifically for the velocity of particles within the fault and at the ground surface. The boundary-element method is used for a quantitative study, and numerical results are obtained and compared with the recorded surface deformation of the San Andreas fault. The effects of geometry and material properties on instability, on the history of the surface deformation, and on the earthquake recurrence time are studied. The results are presented in terms of variations of ground-surface shear strain and shear strain rate, and velocity of points within the fault at various times during the earthquake cycle.It is found that the location of rupture initiation, the possibility of a sudden rupture as opposed to stable creep, and also the ground deformation pattern and its history, all critically depend on the mechanical response of the material within the fault zone, especially that of the brittle section. Shorter earthquake recurrence times are obtained for shallower brittle zones and for a stiffer lithosphere. Lower viscosities of the aseismic zone and the absence of asthenospheric coupling tend to suppress instability and promote stable creep. The model results thus suggest that the overall viscosity of the ductile creeping zone must exceed a minimum value for a sudden upward propagating rupture to take place within the seismic section.  相似文献   

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