Ice and snow have often helped physicists understand the world. On the contrary it has taken them a very long time to understand the flow of the glaciers. Naturalists only began to take an interest in glaciers at the beginning of the 19th century during the last phase of glacier advances. When the glacier flow from the upslope direction became obvious, it was then necessary to understand how it flowed. It was only in 1840, the year of the Antarctica ice sheet discovery by Dumont d'Urville, that two books laid the basis for the future field of glaciology: one by Agassiz on the ice age and glaciers, the other one by canon Rendu on glacier theory. During the 19th century, ice flow theories, adopted by most of the leading scientists, were based on melting/refreezing processes. Even though the word ‘fluid’ was first used in 1773 to describe ice, more the 130 years would have to go by before the laws of fluid mechanics were applied to ice. Even now, the parameter of Glen's law, which is used by glaciologists to model ice deformation, can take a very wide range of values, so that no unique ice flow law has yet been defined. To cite this article: F. Rémy, L. Testut, C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).相似文献
We have experimentally studied the formation of diamonds in alkaline carbonate–carbon and carbonate–fluid–carbon systems at 5.7–7.0 GPa and 1150–1700 °C, using a split-sphere multi-anvil apparatus (BARS). The starting carbonate and fluid-generating materials were placed into Pt and Au ampoules. The main specific feature of the studied systems is a long period of induction, which precedes the nucleation and growth of diamonds. The period of induction considerably increases with decreasing P and T, but decreases when adding a C–O–H fluid to the system. In the range of P and T corresponding to the formation of diamonds in nature, this period lasts for tens of hours. The reactivity of the studied systems with respect to the diamond nucleation and growth decreases in this sequence: Na2CO3–H2C2O4·2H2O–C>K2CO3–H2C2O4·2H2O–C>>Na2CO3–C>K2CO3–C. The diamond morphology is independent of P and T, and is mainly governed by the composition of the crystallization medium. The stable growth form is a cubo-octahedron in the Na2CO3 melt, and an octahedron in the K2CO3 melt. Regardless of the composition of the carbonate melt, only octahedral diamond crystals formed in the presence of the C–O–H fluid. The growth rates of diamond varied in the range from 1.7 μm/h at 1420 °C to 0.1–0.01 μm/h at 1150 °C, and were used to estimate, for the first time, the possible duration of the crystallization of natural diamonds. From the analysis of the experimental results and the petrological evidence for the formation of diamonds in nature, we suggest that fluid-bearing alkaline carbonate melts are, most likely, the medium for the nucleation and growth of diamonds in the Earth's upper mantle. 相似文献
The exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic units from depths more than 100-120 km is one of the most intriguing questions in modern petrology and geodynamics. We use the diamondiferous Kumdy-Kol domain in the Kokchetav Massif to show that exhumation models should take into consideration initially high uplift velocities (from 20 down to 6 cm/year) and the absence of the deformation of UHP assemblages. The high rate of exhumation are indicated by ion microprobe (SHRIMP) dating of zircons from diamondiferous rocks and supported by the low degree of nitrogen aggregation in metamorphic diamonds.Diamondiferous rocks in the Kumdy-Kol domain occur as steeply dipping (60°-80°) thin slices (few hundred metres) within granite-gneiss. Using geological, petrological and isotopic-geochemical data, we show that partial melting of diamondiferous metamorphic rocks occurred; a very important factor which has not been taken into account in previous models.Deformation of diamondiferous rocks at Kumdy-Kol is insignificant; diamond inclusions in garnet are often intergrown with mica crystals carrying no traces of deformation. All these facts could be explained by partial melting of metapelites and granitic rocks in the Kumdy-Kol domain. The presence of melt is responsible for an essential reduction of viscosity and a density difference (Δρ) between crustal rocks and mantle material and reduced friction between the upwelling crustal block, the subducting and overriding plates. Besides Δρ, the exhumation rate seems to depend on internal pressure in the subducting continental crustal block which can be regarded as a viscous layer between subducting continental lithosphere and surrounding mantle.We construct different models for the three stages of exhumation: a model similar to “corner flow” for the first superfast exhumation stage, an intermediate stage of extension (most important from structural point of view) and a very low rate of exhumation in final diapir+erosional uplift. 相似文献
The viscosity of synthetic peridotite liquid has been investigated at high pressures using in-situ falling sphere viscometry by combining a multi-anvil technique with synchrotron radiation. We used a newly designed capsule containing a small recessed reservoir outside of the hot spot of the heater, in which a viscosity marker sphere is embedded in a forsterite + enstatite mixture having a higher solidus temperature than the peridotite. This experimental setup prevents spheres from falling before a stable temperature above the liquidus is established and thus avoids difficulties in evaluating viscosities from velocities of spheres falling through a partially molten sample.
Experiments have been performed between 2.8 and 13 GPa at temperatures ranging from 2043 to 2523 K. Measured viscosities range from 0.019 (± 0.004) to 0.13 (± 0.02) Pa s. At constant temperature, viscosity increases with increasing pressure up to 8.5 GPa but then decreases between 8.5 and 13 GPa. The change in the pressure dependence of viscosity is likely associated with structural changes of the liquid that occur upon compression. By combining our results with recently published 0.1 MPa peridotite liquid viscosities [D.B. Dingwell, C. Courtial, D. Giordano, A. Nichols, Viscosity of peridotite liquid, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 226 (2004) 127–138.], the experimental data can be described by a non-Arrhenian, empirical Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman equation, which has been modified by adding a term to account for the observed pressure dependence of viscosity. This equation reproduces measured viscosities to within 0.08 log10-units on average. We use this model to calculate viscosities of a peridotitic magma ocean along a liquid adiabat to a depth of 400 km and discuss possible effects on viscosity at greater pressures and temperatures than experimentally investigated. 相似文献
One possibility to explore the subsurface layers of icy bodies is to use a probe with a “hot tip", which is able to penetrate
ice layers by melting. Such probes have been built and used in the past for the exploration of terrestrial polar ice sheets
and may also become useful tools to explore other icy layers in the Solar System. Examples for such layers are the polar areas
of Mars or the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa. However, while on Earth a heated probe launched into an ice sheet always
causes melting with subsequent refreezing, the behaviour of such a probe in a low pressure environment is quite different.
We report on the results of some experiments with a simple “melting probe" prototype with two different kinds of hot tips
in a vacuum environment. For one of the tips the probe moved into two types of ice samples: (i) compact water ice and (ii)
porous water ice with a snow (firn) like texture. It was also found that the penetration behaviour was basically different
for the two sample types even when the same kind of tip was used. While in the porous sample the ice was only subliming, the
phase changes occurring during the interaction of the tip with the compact ice are much more complex. Here alternating phases
of melting and sublimation occur. The absence of the liquid phase has severe consequences on the performance of a “melting
probe" under vacuum conditions: In this environment we find a high thermal resistance between the probe surface and the underlying
ice. Therefore, only a low percentage of the heat that is generated in the tip is used to melt or sublime the ice, the bulk
of the power is transferred towards the rear end of the probe. This is particularly a problem in the initial phases of an
ice penetration experiment, when the probe has not yet penetrated the ice over its whole length. In the compact ice sample,
phases could be observed, where a high enough gas pressure had built up locally underneath the probe, so that melting becomes
possible. Only during these melting periods the thermal contact between the probe and the ice is good and in consequence the
melting probe works effectively. 相似文献