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1.
The segmentation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 29°N and 31°30′ N during the last 10 Ma was studied. Within our survey area the spreading center is segmented at a scale of 25–100 km by non-transform discontinuities and by the 70 km offset Atlantis Transform. The morphology of the spreading center differs north and south of the Atlantis Transform. The spreading axis between 30°30′N and 31°30′N consists of enéchelon volcanic ridges, located within a rift valley with a regional trend of 040°. South of the transform, the spreading center is associated with a well-defined rift valley trending 015°. Magnetic anomalies and the bathymetric traces left by non-transform discontinuities on the flanks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge provide a record of the evolution of this slow-spreading center over the last 10 Ma. Migration of non-transform offsets was predominantly to the south, except perhaps in the last 2 Ma. The discontinuity traces and the pattern of crustal thickness variations calculated from gravity data suggest that focused mantle upwelling has been maintained for at least 10 Ma south of 30°30′ N. In contrast, north of 30°30′N, the present segmentation configuration and the mantle upwelling centers inferred from gravity data appear to have been established more recently. The orientation of the bathymetric traces suggests that the migration of non-transform offsets is not controlled by the motion of the ridge axis with respect to the mantle. The evolution of the spreading center and the pattern of segmentation is influenced by relative plate motion changes, and by local processes, perhaps related to the amount of melt delivered to spreading segments. Relative plate motion changes over the last 10 Ma in our survey area have included a decrease in spreading rate from 32 mm a−1 to 24 mm a−1, as well as a clockwise change in spreading direction of 13° between anomalies 5 and 4, followed by a counterclockwise change of 4° between anomaly 4 and the present. Interpretation of magnetic anomalies indicates that there are significant variations in spreading asymmetry and rate within and between segments for a given anomaly time. These differences, as well as variations in crustal thickness inferred from gravity data on the flanks of spreading segments, indicate that magmatic and tectonic activity are, in general, not coordinated between adjacent spreading segments.  相似文献   

2.
The new data presented here from a 10–24°N segment of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge show that this segment is the most depleted of the 10–70°N ridge section. They also show the existence of: (1) a geochemical gradient from the 14°N anomaly to 17°10′N; (2) a very depleted mantle source (the lowest Sr isotopic ratios found so far in the North Atlantic); and (3) a geochemical limit located at about 17°10′N without any obvious relation with any structural feature. The 15°20′N fracture zone does not show any relationship with respect to this gradient. The basalts located north of 17°10′N have very homogeneous features, which allow their characteristics to be averaged (i.e., 87Sr/86Sr= 0.70238 ± 0.00004, (Nb/Zr)N = 0.28 ± 0.1) and they are defined as normal mid-ocean ridge basalts. The basaltic glasses located south of 17°10′N present a wide spectrum of isotopic compositions and extended rare earth element patterns (from depleted to enriched). Despite this, they have a constant K/Nb of 233 ± 9 (1sM, n = 18) whereas this ratio is 344 ± 29 north of 17°10′N. These observations illustrate the strong coherence of behaviour between K and Nb (Ta) during the petrogenic processes involved in the generation of these mid-ocean ridge basalts and also their fractionation during previous mantle processes. Possible interpretations of mixing processes are discussed and sources at the ridge segment scale are favoured. However, when looking in detail, local heterogeneities are still common and can even be traced back off-axis to 115 my.

Placed in the context of the North Atlantic Ridge from 10° to 70°N, the Sr isotopic ratios reveal the Azores superstructure (23–50°N), whereas the trace element ratios (La/Sm-Nb/Zr) trace the second-order structures (33–40°N, 42–48°N) superimposed on the superstructure. This study illustrates the complementarity of information given by certain well chosen trace element ratios on the one hand and by isotopic ratios on the other. Since there is evidence of decoupling between isotopic ratios and/or trace element ratios, it introduces the notion of complementary “chemical memory” as recorded by a given type of trace element ratio or a given type of isotopic ratio  相似文献   


3.
Despite a spreading rate of 65–70 km Ma−1, the East Scotia Ridge has, along most of its length, a form typically associated with slower rates of sea floor spreading. This may be a consequence of cooler than normal mantle upwelling, which could be a feature of back-arc spreading. At the northern end of the ridge, recently acquired sonar data show a complex, rapidly evolving pattern of extension within 100 km of the South Sandwich Trench. New ridge segments appear to be nucleating at or near the boundary between the South American and Scotia Sea plates and propagating southwards, supplanting older segments. The most prominent of these, north of 56°30′S, has been propagating at a rate of approximately 60 km Ma−1 for at least 1 Ma, and displays a morphology unique on this plate boundary. A 40 km long axial high exists at the centre of this segment, forming one of the shallowest sections of the East Scotia Ridge. Beneath it, seismic reflection profiles reveal an axial magma chamber, or AMC, reflector, similar to those observed beneath the East Pacific Rise and Valu Fa Ridge. Simple calculations indicate the existence here of a narrow (<1 km wide) body of melt at a depth of approximately 3 km beneath the sea floor. From the topographic and seismic data, we deduce that a localised mantle melting anomaly lies beneath this segment. Rates of spreading in the east Scotia Sea show little variation along axis. Hence, the changes in melt supply are related to the unique tectonic setting, in which the South American plate is tearing to the east, perhaps allowing mantle flow around the end of the subducting slab. Volatiles released from the torn plate edge and entrained in the flow are a potential cause of the anomalous melting observed. A southward mantle flow may have existed beneath the axis of the East Scotia Ridge throughout its history.  相似文献   

4.
Bathymetry, gravity and deep-tow sonar image data are used to define the segmentation of a 400 km long portion of the ultraslow-spreading Knipovich Ridge in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea, Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Discrete volcanic centers marked by large volcanic constructions and accompanying short wavelength mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) lows generally resemble those of the Gakkel Ridge and the easternmost Southwest Indian Ridge. These magmatically robust segment centers are regularly spaced about 85-100 km apart along the ridge, and are characterized by accumulated hummocky terrain, high relief, off-axis seamount chains and significant MBA lows. We suggest that these eruptive centers correspond to areas of enhanced magma flux, and that their spacing reflects the geometry of underlying mantle upwelling cells. The large-scale thermal structure of the mantle primarily controls discrete and focused magmatism, and the relatively wide spacing of these segments may reflect cool mantle beneath the ridge. Segment centers along the southern Knipovich Ridge are characterized by lower relief and smaller MBA anomalies than along the northern section of the ridge. This suggests that ridge obliquity is a secondary control on ridge construction on the Knipovich Ridge, as the obliquity changes from 35° to 49° from north to south, respectively, while spreading rate and axial depth remain approximately constant. The increased obliquity may contribute to decreased effective spreading rates, lower upwelling magma velocity and melt formation, and limited horizontal dike propagation near the surface. We also identify small, magmatically weaker segments with low relief, little or no MBA anomaly, and no off-axis expression. We suggest that these segments are either fed by lateral melt migration from adjacent magmatically stronger segments or represent smaller, discrete mantle upwelling centers with short-lived melt supply.  相似文献   

5.
A longitudinal seismic reflection profile of the Reykjanes Ridge, together with earthquake seismicity patterns, is interpreted in terms of the mantle plume hypothesis. Between 52°N and 57°N Reykjanes Ridge is cut by about 12 fractures whose trend, inferred from other data, is approximately east-west. North of 57° there is little or no indication of east-west fracturing.The 57°N transition from fractured to unfractured basement occurs about 900 km southwest of the postulated Iceland mantle plume. The fractured province exhibits higher seismicity and rougher basement, on transverse profiles, than does the unfractured province. A similar transition to rougher, more seismic ridge crest also occurs 900 km northeast of Iceland. We propose that flowage of hot, basalt-rich asthenosphere away from the Iceland hot spot keeps the axial lithosphere hot, thin, sparsely fractured, and relatively aseismic out to 900 km from the plume. Similar effects are evident in the vicinity of some other plumes located near spreading axes. Some plumes also exhibit a greater number of earthquakes at some distance from the spreading axis — possibly a reflection of non-axial igneous activity or fracturing due to local, plume-generated stresses.The regional basement slope along the longitudinal profile is about 8 × 10?4. If this slope represents a balance between viscous and gravity forces in the flow, a viscosity of the order 1019 poises can be estimated from the Poiseuille equation.A peculiarly flat, opaque reflector was discovered near the Reykjanes axis, about 300 km southwest of Iceland. Several hypotheses are advanced to account for such reflectors by the exceptional volcanic activity associated with high plume discharge.  相似文献   

6.
Fine-scale sampling with alvin and by dredging of the axial ridge in the Mariana Trough between 17°40′N and 18°30°N recovered basalts with isotopic compositions that span the range between N-type MORB and Mariana island arc basalts. There is a local tectonic-morphological control on basalt compositions; MORB-like basalts are found on the deeper ridge segment bounded by the Pagan transform and the ridge offset at 17°56′N, while basalts from the shallower ridge to the north are typical Mariana Trough basalts (MTB) having compositions intermediate between the two endmember rock types. Arc-like basalts were recovered from one site on the axial ridge.The discovery of basalts with such diverse isotopic characteristics from a short (100 km) section of this backarc spreading center constrains the chemical characteristics and distribution of mantle source variability in the Mariana Trough. SrNdPb isotopic variability suggests that the MTB source is heterogeneous on the scale of individual melt batches. The principal component in the MTB mantle source region is depleted peridotite similar to the source of MORB. The enriched component, most evident in the arc-like basalts and intimately mixed in MTB, has isotopic characteristics similar to those observed in the Mariana arc basalts. The isotopic data suggest that source variability for Mariana axial ridge basalts can be explained by mixed arc-like and MORB-like mantle. We hypothesize that there are fragments of old oceanic lithosphere in the backarc source region. This lithospheric component may reflect remnants of subducted seafloor or forearc-volcanic arc mantle that predate rifting in the backarc basin.  相似文献   

7.
Basalts from young seamounts situated within 6.8 m.y. of the East Pacific Rise, between 9° and 14°N latitude, display significant variations in 143Nd/144Nd (0.51295–0.51321), 87Sr/86Sr (0.7025–0.7031), and(La/Sm)N (0.415–3.270). Nd and Sr isotope ratios are anti-correlated and form a trend roughly parallel to the “mantle array” on a143Nd/144Nd vs.87Sr/86Sr variation diagram. Nd and Sr isotope ratios display negative and positive correlations, respectively, with(La/Sm)N. The geochemical variations observed at the seamounts are nearly as great or greater than those observed over several hundred kilometers of the Reykjanes Ridge, or at the islands of Iceland or Hawaii.

Samples from one particular seamount, Seamount 6, display nearly the entire observed range of chemical variations, offering an ideal opportunity to constrain the nature of heterogeneities in the source mantle. Systematics indicative of magma mixing are recognized when major elements, trace elements, trace element ratios, and isotope ratios are compared with each other in all possible permutations. The source materials required to produce the end-member magmas are: (1) a typical MORB-source-depleted peridotite; and (2) a relatively enriched material which may represent ancient mantle segregations of basaltic melt, incompletely mixed remnants of subducted ocean crust, or metasomatized peridotite such as that found at St. Paul's Rocks or Zabargad Island. Due to the proximity of the seamounts to the East Pacific Rise (EPR), the source materials are thought to comprise an intimate mixture in the mantle immediately underlying the seamounts and the adjacent EPR. Lavas erupted at the ridge axis display a small range of isotopic and incompatible trace element compositions because the large degrees of melting and presence of magma chambers tend to average the chemical characteristics of large volumes of mantle.

If the postulated mantle materials, with large magnitude, small-scale heterogeneities, are ubiquitous in the upper mantle, chemical variations in basalts ranging from MOR tholeiites to island alkali basalts may reflect sampling differences rather than changes in bulk mantle chemistry.  相似文献   


8.
Seismic reflection and refraction data acquired on four transects spanning the Southeast Greenland rifted margin and Greenland–Iceland Ridge (GIR) provide new constraints on mantle thermal structure and melting processes during continental breakup in the North Atlantic. Maximum igneous crustal thickness varies along the margin from >30 km in the near-hotspot zone (<500 km from the hotspot track) to 18 km in the distal zone (500–1100 km). Magmatic productivity on summed conjugate margins of the North Atlantic decreases through time from 1800±300 to 600±50 km3/km/Ma in the near-hotspot zone and from 700±200 to 300±50 km3/km/Ma in the distal zone. Comparison of our data with the British/Faeroe margins shows that both symmetric and asymmetric conjugate volcanic rifted margins exist. Joint consideration of crustal thickness and mean crustal seismic velocity suggests that along-margin changes in magmatism are principally controlled by variations in active upwelling rather than mantle temperature. The thermal anomaly (ΔT) at breakup was modest (100–125°C), varied little along the margin, and transient. Data along the GIR indicate that the potential temperature anomaly (125±50°C) and upwelling ratio (4 times passive) of the Iceland hotspot have remained roughly constant since 56 Ma. Our results are consistent with a plume–impact model, in which (1) a plume of radius 300 km and ΔT of 125°C impacted the margin around 61 Ma and delivered warm material to distal portions of the margin; (2) at breakup (56 Ma), the lower half of the plume head continued to feed actively upwelling mantle into the proximal portion of the margin; and (3) by 45 Ma, both the remaining plume head and the distal warm layer were exhausted, with excess magmatism thereafter largely confined to a narrow (<200 km radius) zone immediately above the Iceland plume stem. Alternatively, the warm upper mantle layer that fed excess magmatism in the distal portion of the margin may have been a pre-existing thermal anomaly unrelated to the plume.  相似文献   

9.
Hydrothermal activity has been investigated along three different sections of the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR): 11°20′–30°N, 36–38°N and the Reykjanes Ridge, 57°45′–63°06′N. When considered in total, the incidence of venting along these three sections of the MAR compares well with the predictions of a model in which frequency of venting is linearly related to ridge-crest spreading-rate. At the scale of individual study areas, however, departure from the model is observed by up to an order of magnitude. Venting is anomalously rare along the Reykjanes Ridge but anomalously abundant along the MAR 36–38°N. Whilst such variability may be within the error of the linear spreading-rate model, we note that the interplay between magmatic and tectonic processes also differs between the three study areas. In the case of the Reykjanes Ridge we propose that the low incidence of venting reported may reflect a limitation of the sampling/investigative strategy because the style of venting which predominates may not give rise to conventional black-smoker hydrothermal plumes. Along the oblique and broadly segmented MAR 36–38°N, we propose that vigorous hydrothermal venting in broad segment-end non-transform discontinuities may be focussed along deeply penetrating active faults with the requisite heat supply being supported through some combination of along-axis magmatic intrusions and thermal release associated with the serpentinisation of crustal peridotites.  相似文献   

10.
We report new helium isotope results for 49 basalt glass samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 1°N and 47°S.3He/4He in South Atlantic mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) varies between 6.5 and 9.0 RA (RA is the atmospheric ratio of1.39 × 10−6), encompassing the range of previously reported values for MORB erupted away from high3He/4He hotspots such as Iceland. He, Sr and Pb isotopes show systematic relationships along the ridge axis. The ridge axis is segmented with respect to geochemical variations, and local spike-like anomalies in3He/4He, Pb and Sr isotopes, and trace element ratios such as(La/Sm)N are prevalent at the latitudes of the islands of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Gough to the east of the ridge. The isotope systematics are consistent with injection beneath the ridge of mantle “blobs” enriched in radiogenic He, Pb and Sr, derived from off-axis hotspot sources. The variability in3He/4He along the ridge can be used to refine the hotspot source-migrating-ridge sink model.

MORB from the 2–7°S segment are systematically the least radiogenic samples found along the mid-ocean ridge system to date. Here the depleted mantle source is characterized by87Sr/86Sr of 0.7022, Pb isotopes close to the geochron and with206Pb/204Pb of 17.7, and3He/4He of 8.6–8.9 RA. The “background contamination” of the subridge mantle, by radiogenic helium derived from off-ridge hotspots, displays a maximum between 20 and 24°S. The HePb and HeSr isotope relations along the ridge indicate that the3He/4He ratios are lower for the hotspot sources of St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Gough than for the MORB source, consistent with direct measurements of3He/4He ratios in the island lavas. Details of the HeSrPb isotope systematics between 12 and 22°S are consistent with early, widespread dispersion of the St. Helena plume into the asthenosphere, probably during flattening of the plume head beneath the thick lithosphere prior to continental breakup. The geographical variation in theHe/Pbratio deduced from the isotope systematics suggests only minor degassing of the plume during this stage. Subsequently, it appears that the plume component reaching the mid-Atlantic ridge was partially outgassed of He during off-ridge hotspot volcanism and related melting activity.

Overall, the similar behavior of He and Pb isotopes along the ridge indicates that the respective mantle sources have evolved under conditions which produced related He and Pb isotope variations.  相似文献   


11.
Plate boundary geometry likely has an important influence on crustal production at mid-ocean ridges. Many studies have explored the effects of geometrical features such as transform offsets and oblique ridge segments on mantle flow and melting. This study investigates how triple junction (TJ) geometry may influence mantle dynamics. An earlier study [Georgen, J.E., Lin, J., 2002. Three-dimensional passive flow and temperature structure beneath oceanic ridge-ridge-ridge triple junctions. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 204, 115–132.] suggested that the effects of a ridge–ridge–ridge configuration are most pronounced under the branch with the slowest spreading rate. Thus, we create a three-dimensional, finite element, variable viscosity model that focuses on the slowest-diverging ridge of a triple junction with geometry similar to the Rodrigues TJ. This spreading axis may be considered to be analogous to the Southwest Indian Ridge. Within 100 km of the TJ, temperatures at depths within the partial melting zone and crustal thickness are predicted to increase by ~ 40 °C and 1 km, respectively. We also investigate the effects of differential motion of the TJ with respect to the underlying mantle, by imposing bottom model boundary conditions replicating (a) absolute plate motion and (b) a three-dimensional solution for plate-driven and density-driven asthenospheric flow in the African region. Neither of these basal boundary conditions significantly affects the model solutions, suggesting that the system is dominated by the divergence of the surface places. Finally, we explore how varying spreading rate magnitudes affects TJ geodynamics. When ridge divergence rates are all relatively slow (i.e., with plate kinematics similar to the Azores TJ), significant along-axis increases in mantle temperature and crustal thickness are calculated. At depths within the partial melting zone, temperatures are predicted to increase by ~ 150 °C, similar to the excess temperatures associated with mantle plumes. Likewise, crustal thickness is calculated to increase by approximately 6 km over the 200 km of ridge closest to the TJ. These results could imply that some component of the excess volcanism observed in geologic settings such as the Terceira Rift may be attributed to the effects of TJ geometry, although the important influence of features like nearby hotspots (e.g., the Azores hotspot) cannot be evaluated without additional numerical modeling.  相似文献   

12.
We have constrained the shear-wave structure of crust and upper mantle beneath Iceland by analyzing fundamental mode Rayleigh waves recorded at the ICEMELT and HOTSPOT seismic stations in Iceland. The crust varies in thickness from 20 to 28 km in western and northern Iceland and from 26 to 34 km in eastern Iceland. The thickest crust of 34–40 km lies in central Iceland, roughly 100 km west to the current location of the Iceland hotspot. The crust at the hotspot is ∼32 km thick and is underlain by low shear-wave velocities of 4.0–4.1 km/s in the uppermost mantle, indicating that the Moho at the hotspot is probably a weak discontinuity. This low velocity anomaly beneath the hotspot could be associated with partial melting and hot temperature. The lithosphere in Iceland is confined above 60 km and a low velocity zone (LVZ) is imaged at depths of 60 to 120 km. Shear wave velocity in the LVZ is up to 10% lower than a global reference model, indicating the influence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the hotspot in Iceland. The lowest velocities in the LVZ are found beneath the rift zones, suggesting that plume material is channeled along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. At depths of 100 to 200 km, low velocity anomalies appear at the Tjornes fracture zone to the north of Iceland and beneath the western volcanic zone in southwestern Iceland. Interestingly, a relatively fast anomaly is imaged beneath the hotspot with its center at ∼135 km depth, which could be due to radial anisotropy associated with the strong upwelling within the plume stem or an Mg-enriched mantle residual caused by the extensive extraction of melts.  相似文献   

13.
The global mid-ocean ridge system is one of the most active plate boundaries on the earth and understanding the dynamic processes at this plate boundary is one of the most important problems in geodynamics. In this paper I present recent results of several aspects of mid-ocean ridge studies concerning the dynamics of oceanic lithosphere at these diverging plate boundaries. I show that the observed rift valley to no-rift valley transition (globally due to the increase of spreading rate or locally due to the crustal thickness variations and/or thermal anomalies) can be explained by the strong temperature dependence of the power law rheology of the oceanic lithosphere, and most importantly, by the difference in the rheological behavior of the oceanic crust from the underlying mantle. The effect of this weaker lower crust on ridge dynamics is mainly influenced by spreading rate and crustal thickness variations. The accumulated strain pattern from a recently developed lens model, based on recent seismic observations, was proposed as an appealing mechanism for the observed gabbro layering sequence in the Oman Ophiolite. It is now known that the mid-ocean ridges at all spreading rates are offset into individual spreading segments by both transform and nontransform discontinuities. The tectonics of ridge segmentation are also spreading-rate dependent: the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized by distinct bulls-eye shaped gravity lows, suggesting large along-axis variations in melt production and crustal thickness, whereas the fast-spreading East-Pacific Rise is associated with much smaller along-axis variations. These spreading-rate dependent changes have been attributed to a fundamental differences in ridge segmentation mechanisms and mantle upwelling at mid-ocean ridges: the mantle upwelling may be intrinsically plume-like (3-D) beneath a slow-spreading ridge but more sheet-like (2-D) beneath a fast-spreading ridge.  相似文献   

14.
We present new and reprocessed seismic reflection data from the area where the southeast and southwest Greenland margins intersected to form a triple junction south of Greenland in the early Tertiary. During breakup at 56 Ma, thick igneous crust was accreted along the entire 1300-km-long southeast Greenland margin from the Greenland Iceland Ridge to, and possibly 100 km beyond, the triple junction into the Labrador Sea. However, highly extended and thin crust 250 km to the west of the triple junction suggests that magmatically starved crustal formation occurred on the southwest Greenland margin at the same time. Thus, a transition from a volcanic to a non-volcanic margin over only 100–200 km is observed. Magmatism related to the impact of the Iceland plume below the North Atlantic around 61 Ma is known from central-west and southeast Greenland. The new seismic data also suggest the presence of a small volcanic plateau of similar age close to the triple junction. The extent of initial plume-related volcanism inferred from these observations is explained by a model of lateral flow of plume material that is guided by relief at the base of the lithosphere. Plume mantle is channelled to great distances provided that significant melting does not take place. Melting causes cooling and dehydration of the plume mantle. The associated viscosity increase acts against lateral flow and restricts plume material to its point of entry into an actively spreading rift. We further suggest that thick Archaean lithosphere blocked direct flow of plume material into the magma-starved southwest Greenland margin while the plume was free to flow into the central west and east Greenland margins. The model is consistent with a plume layer that is only moderately hotter, 100–200°C, than ambient mantle temperature, and has a thickness comparable to lithospheric thickness variations, 50–100 km. Lithospheric architecture, the timing of continental rifting and viscosity changes due to melting of the plume material are therefore critical parameters for understanding the distribution of magmatism.  相似文献   

15.
Temperature measurements of hydrothermal vent fluids provide an important indicator of the physical and chemical state of mid-ocean ridge crest hydrothermal and magmatic systems. Changes in vent fluid temperature and chemistry can have dramatic effects on biological communities that inhabit these unique ecosystems. In an attempt to understand temporal variability of ridge crest hydrothermal activity as it relates to geological processes at the ridge axis, six high-temperature hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise crest between 9°49′N and 9°51′N were instrumented and sampled repeatedly during five years following a submarine volcanic eruption in 1991. Bio9 vent, located on the floor of the axial trough near 9°50.2′N, has the most complete record of fluid temperatures from 1991 to 1997, including a continuous temperature record of nearly three years (1994–1997). Bio9 vent fluids were 368°C in 1991, increased to an estimated temperature ≥388°C after a second volcanic event in 1992, and thereafter declined over the next 2 years reaching a temperature of 365°C in December 1993. Continuous temperature records and point measurements made by Alvin's thermocouple probe show Bio9 vent fluids were stable for 15 months at 365±1°C, until March 26, 1995. On March 26, an abrupt 7°C increase occurred over a period of eight days at this vent, and a maximum temperature of 372±1°C persisted for 14 days. The vent fluid cooled gradually over 3.5 months to 366±1°C, and for several months at the end of the recording period the temperature increased a few degrees. A continuous record of fluid temperature at this vent between November 1995 and November 1997 shows a 5±1°C increase for the two-year period. The abrupt temperature increase at Bio9 vent, and coincident changes in faunal community structure, and geochemistry of vent fluids from this area suggest that a crustal event occurred, either in the form of a cracking front in the crust or intrusion of a small dike. Based on the results of a microseismicity experiment conducted around the Bio9 vent in 1995 [Sohn et al., Trans. Am. Geophys. Union 78 (1997) F647; Sohn et al., Nature (in press)], and the identification of a small earthquake swarm which occurred on March 22, 1995 we conclude that the temperature anomaly measured at Bio9 four days following the swarm was caused by a cracking front penetrating into hot crustal rocks beneath the vent.  相似文献   

16.
超慢速扩张西南印度洋中脊岩浆的集中供给在空间维度上表现为岩浆扩张段（NVR）与相邻的非转换断层不连续带（NTD）地壳结构的差异,而在时间维度上表现为离轴与沿轴地壳结构的差异.为了进一步揭示岩浆集中供给的时空分布特征,本文选取西南印度洋中脊热液区2010年海底地震仪深部探测中平行于洋中脊距轴部偏北约10 km的离轴测线d0d10,使用射线追踪正演和反演的方法,得到了NVR和NTD北侧离轴区域的地壳及上地幔P波速度结构,并与轴部速度结构进行了对比分析.研究结果表明：（1）NTD北侧离轴区域的地壳厚度约5.2 km,其厚度明显大于轴部NTD下方地壳厚度（~3.2 km）,由此推测洋脊轴部NTD区域形成的地壳在不断减薄;（2）NVR北侧离轴区域的地壳厚度约7.0 km,其厚度亦大于轴部NVR地壳厚度（~5.8 km）,表明在洋中脊演化过程中洋脊轴区域的岩浆供给在不断减少,其活动性在不断减弱.  相似文献   

17.
We report here the results of a near-bottom geophysical survey of the Reykjanes Ridge, a mid-ocean ridge that is oriented obliquely to the perpendicular spreading direction. From a combination of the bathymetric profiles, side-scan sonar data, and regional bathymetric maps we infer that the present center of spreading is made up of a number of N15°E-trending en echelon ridge segments in the southern half of our survey area. Insufficient data prevent the identification of the spreading pattern in the northern half. The side-scan records show that the ridge flanks are highly fractured by inward-facing faults displaced 40 m or less and trending in a N21°E direction. The lack of side-scan features parallel to the spreading direction except in the southernmost portion of the survey area suggests that the ridge segments are not connected by transform faults in the usual sense. Although the mechanism by which en echelon ridge segments can be maintained during sea-floor spreading over time is unclear, similar patterns of crustal accretion have been reported on Iceland. It appears that the accretionary processes along the Reykjanes Ridge are more related to those of Iceland than to those of typical mid-ocean ridges.  相似文献   

18.
Along the Reykjanes Ridge from 63°10′N to 63°50′N we identify 10 en-echelon shallow closely spaced axial volcanic ridges (AVR). The AVRs are confined to the crest of the Reykjanes Ridge. This has been suggested to imply intense tectonic erosion of the ridges and subsequent sediment covering as they drift off axis. All AVRs studied are small and their length does not exceed that of individual eruptive fissures on land. Recent seismic activity is concentrated near Fuglasker seamount and the two AVRs in the Húllið graben. Tectonic strike changes drastically at the Skerjadjúp graben from N28°E to N40°E. Historic volcanic activity has been intense in this area with up to 14 eruptions, the last confirmed eruption occurring in 1926. New multibeam and backscatter data in the area of AVR 1 and the northernmost tip of AVR 2 show that the ridges were created by multiple eruptions, with clearly defined volcanic centres or cones, in contrast to monogenetic Pleistocene hyaloclastite ridges on land in Iceland with similar dimensions. In this area there was a series of eruptions during the years 1226–1238 in which the craters could have formed. The data also show normal faults in the Húllið graben. The western boundary faults have a drop of more than 25 m, while the eastern faults are smaller but denser.  相似文献   

19.
20 Ma以来Mohns洋中脊的非对称扩张速率与地壳结构   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0       下载免费PDF全文
超慢速扩张的Mohns洋中脊共轭两侧的地球物理场与地壳结构具有显著的非对称性.利用我国第五次北极科学考察采集的水深、重力与磁力数据,结合历史资料,我们计算了14条垂直Mohns洋中脊剖面的扩张速率、剩余水深、剩余地幔布格重力异常（RMBA）、地壳厚度和非均衡地形.对洋中脊共轭两侧以上计算结果的进一步对比发现,Mohns洋中脊两侧整体（下文均指同一地质时刻各剖面的平均值）的非对称性呈现明显的两段性：20~10.5 Ma,相比Mohns洋中脊东侧,西侧的扩张速率更慢、地壳更厚、非均衡地形更低;10.5~0 Ma,扩张速率、地壳厚度和非均衡地形的非对称的极性与20~10.5 Ma期间完全相反.后一阶段,整体扩张速率在西侧更快、剩余水深更浅,但是对应更薄的地壳和更高的非均衡地形.我们推断前者为冰岛沿Kolbeinsey洋中脊的作用增厚了Mohns洋中脊西侧地壳并使得洋中脊向西侧跳动,而后一阶段反映了岩浆供给减少后西侧集中的构造活动导致的更多的拉伸与隆升.沿各剖面上,10.5~0 Ma期间构造活动集中的洋中脊西侧均具有薄地壳和高非均衡地形,但构造拉伸的增加并不总是对应增快的扩张速率.岩浆在浅部更多地向东侧的分配以及洋中脊向西侧的跳动可能使得东西两侧具有相近的扩张速率.  相似文献   

20.
In this paper the mid-ocean ridge axial valley is modelled as a steady-state lithospheric neck in which lithospheric stretching balances lithospheric accretion. Conversely, the axial high is a steady-state lithospheric bulge. The lithosphere is modelled as a thin plate with a Newtonian rheology. It is shown that an axial valley will occur if the rate of viscosity increase away from the ridge axis is faster than the rate at which accretion decreases. An axial high will occur if the opposite condition holds. This is consistent with the observation that axial valleys occur at low spreading rates and axial highs at high spreading rates. By fitting our model to profiles across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise and assuming the lithospheric thickness at the ridge axis to be 5 km, we find accretion widths of 6–8 km. We find the width over which there is a significant increase in lithospheric viscosity to be also 6–8 km.  相似文献   

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