Lattice-preferred Orientation Of Olivine Research Articles

Lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine and amphibole in amphibole peridotites and neighboring hornblendites from Gapyeong, South Korea and implications for seismic anisotropy

Amphibole peridotites and neighboring hornblendites are often found in subduction zones. To understand the effect of amphibole-rich rocks on seismic anisotropy in subduction zones, we studied the lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine and amphibole in amphibole peridotites and neighboring hornblendites in Gapyeong, South Korea. The major minerals of amphibole peridotites were olivine (31–51% in volume), amphibole (28–47%), and orthopyroxene (7–16%). Amphibole in amphibole peridotites showed relatively high SiO2 and low TiO2 and Na2O contents (S-type amphibole), indicating that it was formed under supra-subduction conditions. Amphibole in amphibole peridotites showed the type-I, type-II, and type-IV LPO, whereas amphibole in neighboring hornblendites showed the type-III and type-IV LPO. In the case of olivine, most samples showed a mixture of A- and B-type LPO, and one sample showed a mixture of B- and C-type LPO. Many serpentine inclusions were found in olivines. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of the samples showed that the olivines contained a large amount of water (∼29000–45000 ppm H/Si). We also found many dislocations in olivines. These observations indicate that samples showing a mixture of A- and B-type LPO and a mixture of B- and C-type LPO of olivine were deformed under water-rich conditions by dislocation creep. In amphibole peridotites, the P-wave anisotropy of olivine was relatively low (0.9–4.8%), whereas the P-wave anisotropy of amphibole was high (6.5–17.7%). The maximum S-wave anisotropy of olivine was also relatively low (0.87–2.89%), whereas the maximum S-wave anisotropy of amphibole was high (3.81–15.19%). In hornblendites, the P-wave anisotropy and maximum S-wave anisotropy of amphibole were high (6.9–13.6% and 4.27–10.61%, respectively). The P-wave anisotropy and maximum S-wave anisotropy of the amphibole peridotites were in the range of 2.6–8.4% and 1.73–7.30%, respectively. The seismic velocity and anisotropy pattern of amphibole peridotites were more similar to those of amphibole than those of olivine, indicating that the seismic properties of amphibole peridotites were more strongly affected by amphibole than by olivine. Furthermore, the seismic anisotropy of the mixture of amphibole peridotite and hornblendite in subduction zones was also found to be significantly affected by the amphibole LPO in hornblendite.

Evolution of Deformation Fabrics Related to Petrogenesis of Upper Mantle Xenoliths Beneath the Baekdusan Volcano

Knowledge of the formation and evolution of cratonic subcontinental lithospheric mantle is critical to our understanding of the processes responsible for continental development. Here, we report the deformation microstructures and lattice preferred orientations (LPOs) of olivine and pyroxenes alongside petrological data from spinel peridotite xenoliths beneath the Baekdusan volcano. We have used these datasets to constrain the evolution of deformation fabrics related to petrogenesis from the Baekdusan peridotites. Based on petrographic features and deformation microstructures, we have identified two textural categories for these peridotites: coarse- and fine-granular harzburgites (CG and FG Hzb). We found that mineral composition, equilibrium temperature, olivine LPO, stress, and extraction depth vary considerably with the texture. We suggest that the A-type olivine LPO in the CG Hzb may be related to the preexisting Archean cratonic mantle fabric (i.e., old frozen LPO) formed under high-temperature, low-stress, and dry conditions. Conversely, we suggest that the D-type olivine LPOs in the FG Hzb samples likely originated from later localized deformation events under low-temperature, high-stress, and dry conditions after a high degree of partial melting. Moreover, we consider the Baekdusan peridotite xenoliths to have been derived from a compositionally and texturally heterogeneous vertical mantle section beneath the Baekdusan volcano.

Microstructural Evolution of Amphibole Peridotites in Åheim, Norway, and the Implications for Seismic Anisotropy in the Mantle Wedge

The microstructure of amphibole peridotites from Åheim, Norway were analyzed to understand the evolution of the lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine throughout the Scandian Orogeny and its implication for the seismic anisotropy of the subduction zone. The Åheim peridotites had a porphyroclastic texture and some samples contained an abundant amount of hydrous minerals such as tremolite. Detailed microstructural analysis on the Åheim peridotites revealed multiple stages of deformation. The coarse grains showed an A-type LPO of olivine, which can be interpreted as the initial stage of deformation. The spinel-bearing samples showed a mixture of B-type and C-type LPOs of olivine, which is considered to represent the deformation under water-rich conditions. The recrystallized fine-grained olivine displays a B-type LPO, which can be interpreted as the final stage of deformation. Microstructures and water content of olivine indicate that the dominant deformation mechanism of olivine showing a B-type LPO is a dislocation creep under water-rich condition. The observation of the B-type LPO of olivine is important for an interpretation of trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the mantle wedge. The calculated seismic anisotropy of the tremolite showed that tremolite can contribute to the trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the mantle wedge.

Lattice-preferred orientation of amphibole, chlorite, and olivine found in hydrated mantle peridotites from Bjørkedalen, southwestern Norway, and implications for seismic anisotropy

Understanding lattice-preferred orientations (LPOs) of olivine is important in the study of seismic anisotropy and mantle flow of the upper mantle in the earth. Although olivine is the major mineral of the upper mantle, both amphibole and chlorite in a deformed peridotite may develop LPO and thus affect the seismic anisotropy in water-rich environments. However, it is not known whether the coexistence of LPO of amphibole and chlorite contributes to seismic anisotropy constructively or destructively. Therefore, the LPOs of amphibole, chlorite, and olivine in hydrated mantle peridotites from Bjørkedalen, southwestern Norway, were examined. In this study, the hydrated mantle peridotites showed three types of the LPOs of olivine, classified as A type LPO, B type-like LPO, and mixed LPO between the two types. Most of the olivines showed weak LPOs but amphibole and chlorite showed strong LPOs. High water content in olivine (440–690 ppm H/Si) and numerous hydrous inclusions in olivine and orthopyroxene indicated that water induced the fabric change of olivine from A type to B type-like LPO. The seismic velocity and seismic anisotropy were calculated on the basis of the LPOs of the studied minerals. It is found that the LPOs of both amphibole and chlorite can contribute to a strong trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the subduction zone constructively, depending on the dip angle of flow. The results suggest that the development of the LPO of amphibole and chlorite can contribute significantly to seismic anisotropy of the subduction zone.

The Elastic Anisotropy Change Near the 410‐km Discontinuity: Predictions From Single‐Crystal Elasticity Measurements of Olivine and Wadsleyite

AbstractWe present a model of the single‐crystal elasticity of olivine with ~9–10 mol% Fe based on all available single‐crystal velocity measurements. A set of finite strain equations of state that account for thermoelastic effects is used for fitting the individual elastic moduli at various pressure‐temperature conditions. The same analysis is applied to reanalyze the experimentally determined single‐crystal elastic moduli of hydrous and anhydrous Fe‐bearing wadsleyite. Based on the obtained thermoelastic parameters of individual elastic moduli, we then calculated various elastic anisotropy indices of olivine and wadsleyite and extrapolated them to the pressure‐temperature conditions expected in the Earth's mantle. The results suggest that the elastic anisotropy in the Earth's upper transition zone (410–520 km depth) is likely below the seismic detection limit if it originates primarily from the lattice preferred orientation of wadsleyite crystals. On the other hand, the elastic anisotropy of olivine is still relatively high (~19–25%) at 410 km depth. Thus, if a mantle flow field induces lattice preferred orientation of olivine and wadsleyite near 410 km depth, a reduction of elastic anisotropy is expected across the 410‐km discontinuity.

The zone of influence of the subducting slab in the asthenospheric mantle

AbstractDue to the multidisciplinary nature of combined geodynamics and shear wave splitting studies, there is still much to be understood in terms of isolating the contributions from mantle dynamics to the shear wave splitting signal, even in a two‐dimensional (2‐D) mantle flow framework. This paper investigates the viscous flow, lattice preferred orientation (LPO) development, and predicted shear wave splitting for a suite of buoyancy‐driven subduction models using a non‐linear rheology to shed light on the nature of the slab‐driven asthenospheric flow and plate‐mantle coupling. The slab‐driven zone of influence in the mantle, LPO fabric, and resulting synthetic splitting are sensitive to slab strength and slab initial slab dip. The non‐linear viscosity formulations leads to dynamic reductions in asthenospheric viscosity extending over 600 km into the mantle wedge and over 300 km behind the trench, with peak flow velocities occurring in models with a weaker slab and moderate slab dip. The olivine LPO fabric in the asthenosphere generally increases in alignment strength with increased proximity to the slab but can be transient and spatially variable on small length scales. The results suggest that LPO formed during initial subduction may persist into the steady state subduction regime. Vertical flow fields in the asthenosphere can produce shear wave splitting variations with back azimuth that deviate from the predictions of uniform trench‐normal anisotropy, a result that bears on the interpretation of complexity in shear wave splitting observed in real subduction zones. Furthermore, the models demonstrate the corner flow paradigm should not be equated with a 2‐D subduction framework.

Fabric heterogeneity in the Mojave lower crust and lithospheric mantle in Southern California

AbstractWe use xenoliths from young cinder cones in the eastern Mojave region of Southern California to investigate deformation fabrics and their implications for strain localization, lithospheric viscosity, and controls on mineral lattice‐preferred orientations (LPOs) and seismic anisotropy at Moho depths. Lower crustal gabbros and upper mantle peridotites were collected from two areas separated by ∼80 km—the Cima and Deadman Lake Volcanic Fields. At both localities, mantle peridotites exhibit solid‐state deformation fabrics that show strong LPOs and other evidence for dislocation creep as the dominant deformation mechanism. The preservation of microstructures ranging from annealed, granular, to mylonitic indicates that there is substantial strain localization in the Mojave mantle near the Moho. Paleopiezometry conducted on subgrains in olivine indicates that stress magnitudes during deformation were 12–26 MPa. Calculations using olivine flow laws yield strain rates on the order of ∼10−12/s and an associated viscosity of ∼1019 Pa s, consistent with estimates of mantle lid viscosity from postseismic relaxation studies. Two types of olivine LPOs were observed in the peridotites: A‐type and E‐type fabrics, both of which predict seismic fast axes that align parallel to the lineation within the foliation plane. The occurrences of the two fabric types appear to correlate with strain magnitude but not with water contents measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Lower crustal fabrics are dominated by magmatic foliations and LPOs in plagioclase, which produce seismic fast axes oriented perpendicular to the foliation plane. This suggests that even where mantle and lower crustal fabrics are kinematically linked, their seismic fast axes may appear anticorrelated across the Moho.

Evaluating geodynamic models for sub-slab anisotropy: Effects of olivine fabric type

We examine spatially varying patterns of sub-slab anisotropy derived from geodynamic models of subduction beneath Central America and Tonga. Invoking a variety of anisotropic fabrics, we compare the predicted sub-slab anisotropy of these models against source-side, shear-wave splitting observations using realistic ray paths. We find that in both regions fabric type has a strong impact on predicted shear-wave splitting. In Tonga, where three-dimensional (3D) return flow dominates, E-type olivine lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) fabric predicts a sub-slab mantle anisotropy that best matches observations. In Central America, where entrained flow dominates, anisotropy from C-type LPO fabric yields the best fit. This highlights the importance of fabric type when interrogating geodynamic models because different regions may be characterized by different LPO fabrics. A primary controller of fabric type is water content. Taken at face value, these results then suggest the sub-slab mantle beneath Tonga is less well hydrated than that beneath Central America.

Investigation of mantle kinematics beneath the Hellenic-subduction zone with teleseismic direct shear waves

The subduction and roll-back of the African plate beneath the Eurasian plate along the arcuate Hellenic trench is the dominant geodynamic process in the Aegean and western Anatolia. Mantle flow and lithospheric kinematics in this region can potentially be understood better by mapping seismic anisotropy. This study uses direct shear-wave splitting measurements based on the Reference Station Technique in the southern Aegean Sea to reveal seismic anisotropy in the mantle. The technique overcomes possible contamination from source-side anisotropy on direct S-wave signals recorded at a station pair by maximizing the correlation between the seismic traces at reference and target stations after correcting the reference stations for known receiver-side anisotropy and the target stations for arbitrary splitting parameters probed via a grid search. We obtained splitting parameters at 35 stations with good-quality S-wave signals extracted from 81 teleseismic events. Employing direct S-waves enabled more stable and reliable splitting measurements than previously possible, based on sparse SKS data at temporary stations, with one to five events for local SKS studies, compared with an average of 12 events for each station in this study. The fast polarization directions mostly show NNE-SSW orientation with splitting time delays between 1.15s and 1.62s. Two stations in the west close to the Hellenic Trench and one in the east show N-S oriented fast polarizations. In the back-arc region three stations exhibit NE-SW orientation. The overall fast polarization variations tend to be similar to those obtained from previous SKS splitting studies in the region but indicate a more consistent pattern, most likely due to the usage of a larger number of individual observations in direct S-wave derived splitting measurements. Splitting analysis on direct shear waves typically resulted in larger split time delays compared to previous studies, possibly because S-waves travel along a longer path in the same anisotropic structure. Considering the S-derived splitting measurements of this study together with earlier SKS and Rayleigh wave anisotropy modelling results we suggest that the very consistent direct S-derived fast shear wave directions can be explained by the lattice-preferred orientation of olivine in the asthenospheric mantle due to mantle flow induced by the roll-back of the slab. It is possible that a small contribution originated in the lower crust beneath the study region where anisotropic fabric might have formed in response to extension in the Miocene.

Lattice-Preferred orientations of olivine in subducting oceanic lithosphere derived from the observed seismic anisotropies in double seismic zones

Subduction zones can generally be classified into Mariana type and Chilean type depending on plate ages, plate thicknesses, subduction angles, back-arc deformation patterns, etc. The double seismic zones (DSZs) in subduction zones are mainly divided into type I and type II which, respectively, correspond to the Mariana type and Chilean type in most cases. Seismic anisotropy is an important parameter characterizing the geophysical features of the lithosphere, including the subduction zones, and can be described by the two parameters of delay time δt and fast wave polarization direction ϕ. We totally collected 524 seismic anisotropy data records from 24 DSZs and analyzed the statistical correlations between seismic anisotropy and the related physical parameters of DSZs. Our statistical analysis demonstrated that the fast wave polarization directions are parallel to the trench strike with no more than 30° for most type I DSZs, while being nearly perpendicular to the trench strike for type II DSZs. We also calculated roughly linear correlations that the delay time δt increases with dip angles but decreases with subduction rates. A linear equation was summarized to describe the strong correlation between DSZ’s subduction angle α DSZ and seismic anisotropy in subduction zones. These results suggest that the anisotropic structure of the subducting lithosphere can be described as a possible equivalent crystal similar to the olivine crystal with three mutually orthogonal polarization axes, of which the longest and the second axes are nearly along the trench-perpendicular and trench-parallel directions, respectively.

The origin of shear wave splitting beneath Iceland

The origin of shear wave splitting (SWS) in the mantle beneath Iceland is examined using numerical models that simulate 3-D mantle flow and the development of seismic anisotropy due to lattice-preferred orientation (LPO). Using the simulated anisotropy structure, we compute synthetic SKS waveforms, invert them for fast polarization directions and split times, and then compare the predictions with the results from three observational studies of Iceland. Models that simulate a mantle plume interacting with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in which the shallow-most mantle has a high viscosity due to the extraction of water with partial melting, or in which C-type olivine LPO fabric is present due to high water content in the plume, produce the largest chi-squared misfits to the SWS observations and are thus rejected. Models of a low-viscosity mantle plume with A-type olivine fabric everywhere, or with the added effects of E-type fabric in the plume below the solidus produce lower misfits. The lowest misfits are produced by models that include a rapid (∼50 kmMyr −1 ) northward regional flow (NRF) in the mid-upper mantle, either with or without a plume. NRF was previously indicated by a receiver function study and a regional tomography study, and is shown here to be a major cause of the azimuthal anisotropy beneath Iceland. The smallest misfits for the models with both a plume and NRF are produced when LPO forms above depths of 300–400 km, which, by implication, also mark the depths above which dislocation creep dominates over diffusion creep. This depth of transition between dislocation and diffusion creep is greater than expected beneath normal oceanic seafloor, and is attributed to the unusually rapid strain rates associated with an Iceland plume and the NRF.

Petrofabrics of olivine in a rift axis and rift shoulder and their implications for seismic anisotropy beneath the Rio Grande rift

AbstractMantle‐derived xenoliths associated with continental rifting can provide important information about the mantle structure and the physicochemical properties of deformation processes in the upper mantle. Metasomatized spinel peridotites from Adam's Diggings (AD) at a rift shoulder and Elephant Butte (EB) at the rift axis in the Rio Grande rift (RGR) were investigated to understand the deformation processes and seismic anisotropy occurring in the upper mantle. As determined through analysis of the lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine by using a scanning electron microscope equipped with electron backscatter diffraction (SEM/EBSD), AD peridotites exhibited C‐type LPO of olivine indicating a dominant slip system of (100)[001] at the rift shoulder, whereas EB peridotites exhibited A‐type LPO indicating a dominant slip system of (010)[100] at the rift axis. Both geochemical data and microstructural observations indicate that the localized mantle enrichment processes, including melts with hydrous fluids, controlled multiple mantle metasomatisms and deformation of rocks under wet conditions (with olivine C‐type LPO) at the rift shoulder (AD), whereas mantle depletion by decompression partial melting caused deformation of rocks under dry conditions (with olivine A‐type LPO) at the rift axis (EB). These observations provide evidence for localized hydration and physicochemical heterogeneity of the upper mantle in the RGR zone. Seismic anisotropy observed beneath this zone can be attributed to the transtensional rupture, such as inhomogeneous stretching, and the petrofabrics of olivine beneath the study area.

Petrogenesis and chemogenesis of oceanic and continental orogens in Asia: Current topics, Part I

Petrogenesis and chemogenesis of oceanic and continental orogens in <scp>A</scp>sia: Current topics, <scp>Part I</scp>

Lattice-preferred orientation of olivine found in diamond-bearing garnet peridotites in Finsch, South Africa and implications for seismic anisotropy

Seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle provides important constraints on mantle dynamics, continental evolution and global tectonics and is believed to be produced by the flow-induced lattice-preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine. Recent experimental studies at high pressure and temperature have suggested that the LPO of olivine is affected by pressure in addition to water and stress. However, there has been no report yet for the pressure-induced LPO of natural olivine because samples from the deep upper mantle are rare and often unsuitable for study due to ambiguous foliation and lineation. Here we show evidence of the pressure-induced LPO of natural olivine in diamond-bearing garnet peridotites from Finsch, South Africa. We found that the [010] axes of olivine are aligned subnormal to foliation and that the [001] axes are aligned subparallel to lineation, which is known as B-type LPO of olivine. The equilibrium pressure of the samples, as estimated using geobarometer, was greater than 4 GPa, indicating that the samples originated from a depth greater than ∼120 km. In addition, FTIR spectroscopy of the olivine showed that the samples are dry, with a water content of less than 90 ± 20 ppm H/Si (5.5 ± 1.2 ppm wt. H2O). These data suggest that the samples are the first natural examples of olivine displaying B-type LPOs produced due to high pressure under dry condition. Our data indicate that the trench-parallel seismic anisotropy observed in many subduction zones in and below subducting slabs at depths greater than ∼90 km under dry condition may be attributed to the pressure-induced olivine fabrics (B-type LPO) and may be interpreted as the entrainment of the sub-lithospheric mantle in the direction of subduction rather than anomalous trench-parallel flow.

Deformation microstructures of olivine and chlorite in chlorite peridotites from Almklovdalen in the Western Gneiss Region, southwest Norway, and implications for seismic anisotropy

Chlorite peridotites from Almklovdalen in southwest Norway were studied to understand the deformation processes and seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle. The lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of olivine and chlorite was determined using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD)/scanning electron microscopy. A sample with abundant garnet showed [100] axes of olivine aligned sub-parallel to lineation, and [010] axes aligned subnormal to foliation: A-type LPO. Samples rich in chlorite showed different olivine LPOs. Two samples showed [001] axes aligned sub-parallel to lineation, and [010] axes aligned subnormal to foliation: B-type LPO. Two other samples showed [100] axes aligned sub-parallel to lineation, and [001] axes aligned subnormal to foliation: E-type LPO. Chlorite showed a strong LPO characterized by [001] axes aligned subnormal to foliation with a weak girdle subnormal to lineation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of the specimens revealed that the olivines with A-type LPO contain a small amount (170 ppm H/Si) of water. In contrast, the olivines with B-type LPOs contain a large amount (340 ppm H/Si) of water.The seismic anisotropy of the olivine and chlorite was calculated. Olivine showed Vp anisotropy of up to 3.8% and a maximum Vs anisotropy of up to 2.7%. However, the chlorite showed a much stronger Vp anisotropy, up to 21.1%, and a maximum Vs anisotropy of up to 31.7%. A sample with a mixture of 25% of olivine and 75% of chlorite can produce a Vp anisotropy of 14.2% and a maximum Vs anisotropy of 22.9%. Because chlorite has a wide stability field at high pressure and high temperature in the subduction zone, the strong LPO of chlorite can be a source of the observed trench-normal or trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the mantle wedge as well as in subducting slabs depending on the dipping angle of slab in a subduction zone where chlorite is stable.

Deformation microstructures of olivine and pyroxene in mantle xenoliths in Shanwang, eastern China, near the convergent plate margin, and implications for seismic anisotropy

Deformation microstructures, including lattice-preferred orientations (LPOs) of olivine, enstatite, and diopside, in mantle xenoliths at Shanwang, eastern China, were studied to understand the deformation mechanism and seismic anisotropy of the upper mantle. The Shanwang is located across the Tan-Lu fault zone, which was formed due to the collision between the Sino-Korean and South China cratons. All samples are spinel lherzolites and wehrlites, and LPOs of minerals were determined using scanning electron microscope/electron backscattered diffraction. We found two types of olivine LPO: type-B in spinel lherzolites and type-E in wehrlites. Enstatite showed two types of LPO (types BC and AC), and diopside showed four different types of LPO. Observations of strong LPOs and numerous dislocations in olivine suggest that samples showing both type-B and -E LPOs were deformed in dislocation creep. The seismic anisotropy of the P-wave was in the range of 2.2–11.6% for olivine, 1.2–2.3% for enstatite, and 2.1–6.4% for diopside. The maximum seismic anisotropy of the shear wave was in the range 1.93–7.53% for olivine, 1.53–2.46% for enstatite, and 1.81–6.57% for diopside. Furthermore, the thickness of the anisotropic layer was calculated for four geodynamic models to understand the origin of seismic anisotropy under the study area by using delay time from shear wave splitting, and S-wave velocity and anisotropy from mineral LPOs. We suggest that the seismic anisotropy under the study area can be most likely explained by two deformation modes that might have occurred at different times: one of deformed lherzolites with a type-B olivine LPO by lateral shear during/after the period of the Mesozoic continental collision between the Sino-Korean and South China cratons; and the other deformed the wehrlites with a type-E olivine LPO by horizontal extension during the period of change in absolute plate motion in relation to the westward-subducting Pacific plate.

Plastic deformation of olivine‐rich diogenites and implications for mantle processes on the diogenite parent body

AbstractNumerous petrologic and geochemical studies so far on the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites have produced various crystallization scenarios for their parent body, believed to be the differentiated asteroid 4 Vesta. Structural analyses of diogenites can reveal important insights into postcrystallization deformation on the parent body. Recently published results (Tkalcec et al. ) of structural analysis on the olivine‐rich diogenite NWA 5480 reveal that it underwent solid‐state plastic deformation, although not at the base of a magma chamber. Dynamic mantle downwelling has been proposed as a plausible deformation mechanism (Tkalcec et al. ). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the plastic deformation found in NWA 5480 is an isolated case. We expand the structural analysis on NWA 5480 and extend it to NWA 5784 and MIL 07001,6, two other samples of rare olivine‐rich diogenites, using electron‐backscattered‐diffraction (EBSD) techniques. Our EBSD results show that the diogenites analyzed in this study underwent solid‐state plastic deformation, confirming that the observed deformation of NWA 5480 was not an isolated case on the diogenite parent body. The lattice‐preferred orientations (LPOs) of olivine in NWA 5784 and NWA 5480 are clearly distinct from that typical for cumulate rocks at the base of magma chambers, indicating a different stress environment and a different deformation mechanism. The LPO of olivine in MIL 07001 is less conclusive. The structural results of this study suggest that plastic deformation occurred on the diogenite parent body at high temperatures (1273 &lt; T ≤ 1573 K) in the solid state, i.e., after crystallization of the diogenites themselves, in a dynamic environment with active stress fields.

The development of magmatism along the Cameroon Volcanic Line: Evidence from seismicity and seismic anisotropy

AbstractThe Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) straddles the continent‐ocean boundary in West Africa but exhibits no clear age progression. This renders it difficult to explain by traditional plume/plate motion hypotheses; thus, there remains no consensus on the processes responsible for its development. To understand better the nature of asthenospheric flow beneath the CVL, and the effects of hotspot tectonism on the overlying lithosphere, we analyze mantle seismic anisotropy and seismicity. Cameroon is relatively aseismic compared to hotspots elsewhere, with little evidence for magmatism‐related crustal deformation away from Mount Cameroon, which last erupted in 2000. Low crustal Vp/Vs ratios (∼1.74) and a lack of evidence for seismically anisotropic aligned melt within the lithosphere both point toward a poorly developed magmatic plumbing system beneath the CVL. Null SKS splitting observations dominate the western continental portion of the CVL; elsewhere, anisotropic fast polarization directions parallel the strike of the Precambrian Central African Shear Zone (CASZ). The nulls may imply that the convecting upper mantle beneath the CVL is isotropic, or characterized by a vertically oriented olivine lattice preferred orientation fabric, perhaps due to a mantle plume or the upward limb of a small‐scale convection cell. Precambrian CASZ fossil lithospheric fabrics along the CVL may have been thermomechanically eroded during Gondwana breakup ∼130 Ma, with an isotropic lower lithosphere subsequently reforming due to cooling of the slow‐moving African plate. Small‐scale lithospheric delamination during the 30 Ma recent development of the line may also have contributed to the erosion of the CASZ lithospheric fossil anisotropy, at the same time as generating the low‐volume alkaline basaltic volcanism along the CVL.

B-type olivine fabric induced by grain boundary sliding

Mineral Lattice Preferred Orientation (LPO) in naturally deformed peridotite is typically interpreted to result from the motion of intra-crystalline dislocations during dislocation creep. The degree of mineral alignment (fabric strength) is often assumed to increase with increasing finite strain. Here, we document olivine LPOs in peridotites in a kilometer-scale mantle shear zone in the Ronda massif (Spain) that demonstrate a transition from a flow-parallel [100]-axis LPO (A-type fabric) to a flow-normal [100]-axis LPO (B-type fabric). We conclude that the B-type fabric in the Ronda peridotite results from the enhancement of grain boundary sliding (GBS) with decreasing grain size, rather than a change in the dominant dislocation slip system because: (1) dislocation sub-structures remain consistent with the A-type slip system in all samples; (2) the fabric transition correlates with decreasing fabric strength despite increasing finite strain; (3) the analysis of deformation conditions in Ronda is inconsistent with the experimental conditions, including water content, inferred to promote the dominance of (010)[001] slip in laboratory samples, and (4) our observations are supported by experiments that document B-type fabric in olivine aggregates where deformation involves a component of GBS. Our results have important implications for interpreting the rheological properties of shear zones and upper mantle structures via micro-structural and seismic observations.

Multiscale modeling of upper mantle plasticity: From single-crystal rheology to multiphase aggregate deformation

We report a first application of an improved second-order (SO) viscoplastic self-consistent model for multiphase aggregates, applied to an olivine+diopside aggregate as analogue for a dry upper mantle peridotite deformed at 10−15s−1 shear strain rate along a 20-Ma ocean geotherm. Beside known dislocation slip systems, this SO-model version accounts for an isotropic relaxation mechanism representing ‘diffusion-related’ creep mechanisms in olivine. Slip-system critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) are evaluated in both phases – as functions of P, T, oxygen fugacity (fO2) and strain rate – from previously reported experimental data obtained on single crystals and first-principle calculations coupled with the Peierls–Nabarro model for crystal plasticity; and the isotropic-mechanism dependence on T and P matches that of Si self-diffusion in olivine, while its relative activity is constrained by reported data. The model reproduces well the olivine and diopside lattice preferred orientations (LPO) produced experimentally and observed in naturally deformed rocks, as well as observed sensitivities of multiphase aggregate strength to the volume fraction of the hard phase (here diopside). It shows a significant weakening of olivine LPO with increasing depth, which results from the combined effects of the P-induced [100]/[001] dislocation-slip transition and the increasing activity with T of ‘diffusion-related’ creep. This work thus provides a first quantification of the respective effects of [100]/[001] slip transition and diffusion creep on the olivine LPO weakening inducing the seismic anisotropy attenuation observed in the upper mantle.