Uppermost Crust Research Articles

Evidence for Low‐Temperature Diffuse Venting at North Pond, Western Flank of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge

AbstractDuring expedition MSM37 on the German RV Maria S. Merian, bottom water temperature and sediment temperature profiles were measured in the vicinity of North Pond (western flank of Mid‐Atlantic Ridge) during exploratory dives with Remotely Operated Vehicle Jason II. In addition, push cores were taken at locations with high sediment temperature gradients. We could identify two locations where sediment temperature gradients exceed 1 K/m and bottom water temperatures showed an anomaly of up to 0.04 °C above background. We interpret these observations as clear indication of low‐temperature diffuse venting of fluids that have traveled through the uppermost crust. We can safely assume that the observed phenomena are widespread at ridge flank settings where sediment cover is thin or absent, and hence, we can explain the efficient heat mining on ridge flanks. Due to the difficulties of locating diffuse low‐temperature discharge sites and due to the fact that discharge can occur through thin sediment cover as well as through sediment‐free basement outcrops, it will be very difficult to quantify fluxes of energy and mass from low‐temperature diffuse venting in ridge flank settings; however, thermal anomalies may be used to locate sites of discharge for geochemical, microbial, and hydrologic characterization.

Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical peculiarities of Archaean cratons

The most outstanding features of Archaean cratons are their extraordinary thickness and enduring longevity. Seismically, Archaean cratonic fragments are sharply-bounded deep roots of mechanically strong, cold lithospheric mantle, clearly distinguishable from non-cratonic lithosphere. Rhenium-depletion of deep cratonic xenolith whole rocks and sulphide inclusions in diamond indicate that melting was broadly coeval with formation of the overlying proto-cratonic crust, which was of limited mechanical strength.A very important process of proto-cratonic development was vertical crustal reorganisation that eventually yielded a thermally stable, cratonised crust with a highly K-U-Th-rich uppermost crust and much more depleted deeper crust. Clastic sedimentary rocks available for geochemical study are predominantly found in the youngest parts of supracrustal stratigraphies and over-represent the highly evolved rocks that appeared during cratonisation. Vertical crustal reorganisation was driven by crustal radiogenic heat and emplacement of proto-craton-wide, incubating and dense supracrustal mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks. Statistical analysis of these cover sequences shows a preponderance of basalt and a high abundance of ultramafic lavas with a dearth of picrite. The ultramafic lavas can be grouped into Ti-enriched and Ti-depleted types and high pressure and temperature experimental data indicate that the latter formed from previously depleted mantle at temperatures in excess of 1700 °C.Most mantle harzburgite xenoliths from cratonic roots are highly refractory, containing very magnesian olivine and many have a high modal abundance of orthopyroxene. High orthopyroxene mode is commonly attributed to metasomatic silica-enrichment or a non-pyrolitic mantle source but much of the excess silica requirement disappears if melting occurred at high pressures of 4–6 GPa. Analysis of experimental data demonstrates that melting of previously depleted harzburgite can yield liquids with highly variable Si/Mg ratios and low Al2O3 and FeO contents, as found in komatiites, and complementary high Cr/Al residues. In many harzburgites, there is an intimate spatial association of garnet and spinel with orthopyroxene, which indicates formation of the Al-phase by exsolution upon cooling and decompression. New and published rare earth element (REE) data for garnet and orthopyroxene show that garnet has inherited its sinusoidal REE pattern from the orthopyroxene. The lack of middle-REE depletion in these refractory residues is consistent with the lack of middle- over heavy-REE fractionation in most komatiites. This suggests that such pyroxene or garnet (or precursor phases) were present during komatiite melting. In the Kaapvaal craton, garnet exsolution upon significant cooling occurred as early as 3.2 Ga and geobarometry of diamond inclusions from ancient kimberlites also supports cool Archaean cratonic geotherms. This requires that some mantle roots have extended to 300 to possibly 400 km and that early cratons must have been much larger than 500 km in diameter.We maintain that the Archaean-Proterozoic boundary continues to be of geological significance, despite the recognition that upper crustal chemistry, as sampled by sedimentary rocks, became more evolved from ca. 3 Ga onwards. The boundary coincides with the disappearance of widespread komatiite and marks the end of formation of typical refractory cratonic lithosphere. This may signify a fundamental change in the thermal structure of the mantle after which upwellings no longer resulted in very high temperature perturbations. One school of thought is that the thermal re-ordering occurred at the core-mantle boundary whereas others envisage Archaean plumes to have originated at the base of the upper mantle. Here we speculate that Archaean cratonic roots may contain remnants of older domains of non-convecting mantle. These domains are potential carriers of isotope anomalies and their base could have constituted a mechanical and thermal boundary layer. Above laterally extensive barriers, emerging proto-cratons were protected from the main mantle heat loss. The eventual collapse of these mechanical barriers terminated very high temperature upwellings and dismembered portions of the barrier were incorporated into the cratonic mantle during the final Neoarchaean ‘superplume’ event. The surviving cratons may therefore preserve biased evidence of geological processes that operated during the Archaean.

Investigation of the crustal and upper-mantle structure of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt (NE, Turkey): a receiver-function study

In this study, we use teleseismic P and S receiver functions (i.e., S-to-P and P-to-S converted signals) and their joint inversions to determine seismic discontinuities in the crust and upper mantle. Eight permanent broadband stations from the KOERI (Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute) that are distributed along the eastern Pontides orogenic belt (EPOB), NE, Turkey, comprise our database. Inversion is performed by using a simulated annealing technique with and without travel time residuals. Our inversion results reveal the Moho depth, a high S velocity lid, a low-velocity zone, and the underlying upper mantle layer. The studied area is divided into two regions based on the station locations: (a) a northern region and (b) a southern region. The inversion results from the northern area produce crustal models that indicate that the uppermost crust is represented by a low P and S wave velocity (Vp = ~ 5.0 km/s and Vs = ~ 2.8 km/s). These velocities are clear evidence of (1) the sedimentary and volcanic rocks that widely crop out in the region and (2) a thinner uppermost crust, whereas the velocities of the southern region (Vp = ~ 6.0 km/s and Vs = ~ 3.1 km/s) indicate a thicker uppermost crust (~ 7 km). Our calculated Vp/Vs velocity ratio in the lower crust is approximately 1.90 and 1.80 in the northern and southern regions, respectively. These ratios are generally attributed to mafic rocks. Beneath the northern stations, the crustal thicknesses are 30, 33, 37, and 40 km from east to west, while the depths of the Moho are 46, 42, 39, and 44 km beneath the southern stations. Some velocity histograms show a transition from the high S velocity mantle lid to the low-velocity zone, which is known as the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary. A representative value of the boundary’s depth is around 83 km in the north and ~ 88 km in the south. The hypothesis of some researchers regarding the existence of southward subduction beneath the eastern Pontides orogenic belt during the Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic is supported by our 2-D and 3-D velocity-depth models.

Impact of Crustal Rheology on Temperature‐Dependent Viscoelastic Models of Volcano Deformation: Application to Taal Volcano, Philippines

AbstractWe use ALOS‐1 interferometric synthetic aperture radar data spanning the period of 2007–2011 to obtain time‐dependent ground deformation data over Taal caldera related to the 2010–2011 volcanic unrest, which did not lead to an eruption. We employ finite element models that account for subsurface thermomechanical properties to test for viscoelastic deformation. We also examine the variability of crustal rheological parameters of the temperature‐dependent Arrhenius formulation for viscosity, to investigate the effects on surface deformation. Deformation at Taal is observed to be time dependent and explained by a linear rate of pressure increase in a shallow magma reservoir at 5‐km depth within a hot and viscoelastic upper crust. The best‐fitting rheological properties of the local setting are consistent with either a felsic or hydrothermally altered uppermost crust. We show the significantly different effects that the variation of rheological parameters has on surface deformation, highlighting the importance of incorporation into future studies of deformation at different volcanic settings.

Seismic velocity structure and intraplate seismicity beneath the Deccan Volcanic Province of western India

The northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province (NWDVP) in India has undergone major tectonic changes during the Eocene–Paleocene, when voluminous eruptions took place due to interaction of the Indian plate with the Reunion plume. The intense seismic activity makes this region as the most vulnerable intraplate earthquake zones, world over. In this study, we utilize arrival times of 40,499 P and 39,581 S phases from waveforms of 5653 events registered at 93 seismic stations to obtain high-resolution tomographic images of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the NWDVP. The images shed light on the relation between seismicity and seismic structure in the source regions of two large earthquakes (Mw ≥ 7.7) at depths >20 km in the rift basins, shallower moderate (Mw ∼5) quakes and swarm induced activity in the horst region. Higher Vp/Vs ratios are observed for the seismogenic rock matrix with entrapped magma fluid that played an important role in triggering large and moderate tectonic earthquakes. High Vp/Vs ratios are also observed in the uppermost crust, indicating that fluid in sediments/fractures triggers the swarm and induced seismicity. The source zones of the shallow, mining induced seismicity are imaged as low Vp, Vs zones. The vertical and horizontal intrusions of the Deccan volcanic magma in the uppermost mantle and lower crust are also well imaged as high Vp and Vs anomalies. Variations in the depth to the Moho and lower crustal velocities signify alterations due to tectonic processes during different time scales.

Crustal structure beneath the Malawi and Luangwa Rift Zones and adjacent areas from ambient noise tomography

Crustal shear wave velocity structure beneath the Malawi and Luangwa Rift Zones (MRZ and LRZ, respectively) and adjacent regions in southern Africa is imaged using fundamental mode Rayleigh waves recorded by 31 SAFARI (Seismic Arrays for African Rift Initiation) stations. Dispersion measurements estimated from empirical Green's functions are used to construct 2-D phase velocity maps for periods between 5 and 28 s. The resulting Rayleigh wave phase velocities demonstrate significant lateral variations and are in general agreement with known geological features and tectonic units within the study area. Subsequently, we invert Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion curves to construct a 3-D shear wave velocity model. Beneath the MRZ and LRZ, low velocity anomalies are found in the upper-most crust, probably reflecting the sedimentary cover. The mid-crust of the MRZ is characterized by an ~3.7% low velocity anomaly, which cannot be adequately explained by higher than normal temperatures alone. Instead, other factors such as magmatic intrusion, partial melting, and fluid-filled deep crustal faults might also play a role. Thinning of the crust of a few kilometers beneath the rifts is revealed by the inversion. A compilation of crustal thicknesses and velocities beneath the world's major continental rifts suggests that both the MRZ and LRZ are in the category of rifts beneath which the crust has not been sufficiently thinned to produce widespread syn-rifting volcanisms.

Probabilistic Surface Heat Flow Estimates Assimilating Paleoclimate History: New Implications for the Thermochemical Structure of Ireland

AbstractRegions where surface temperature has increased since past glaciation events, such as Ireland, underestimate the heat output of the Earth unless paleoclimate corrections are applied. We apply probabilistic techniques to quantify the uncertainty of 22 paleoclimate‐corrected heat flow estimates in Ireland, which assimilate multiple surface temperature histories associated with 130 ka of glacial oscillation in the British Isles. Heat flow values increase by ∼15 mW/m2 after a paleoclimate correction and provide new insights into the thermochemical structure of the lithosphere. The heat flow regime is broadly delineated by the Iapetus Suture Zone that separates Laurentian to the north and Avalonian terranes to the south (mean surface heat flow of 73 ± 14 and 65 ± 14 mW/m2, respectively). The degree to which heat‐producing elements are partitioned into the uppermost crust is described by the differentiation index of a heat flow province. From Bayesian inversion, we determine that radiogenic elements are substantially more differentiated in the uppermost crust of Laurentia (DI=2.8 ± 1.4) than Avalonia (DI=1.5 ± 1.3), despite a moderately enriched lower crust (0.8 ± 0.3 μW/m3). This is facilitated by a thin yet highly radiogenic layer in the uppermost crust of Laurentia (3.9 ± 1.8 μW/m3). Extrapolating these results across the British Isles and Newfoundland suggests that heat‐producing elements have been more successfully reworked into the upper crust to the north of the Iapetus Suture Zone during continental accretion between Laurentia and Avalonia.

Isostatic Moho undulations and estimated elastic thicknesses of the lithosphere in the central Anatolian plateau, Turkey

In this paper, the flexural isostatic deformation of the crustal structure and an average effective elastic thickness (EET) of the lithosphere in the central Anatolian plateau has been estimated. We have used the Vening-Meinesz model to calculate the isostatic Moho depths or crustal thicknesses due to topographic loads. The maximum Moho deepening is under the Alpine Orogenic belt throughout the southern part of Anatolian plate, whereas the Moho depths are relatively shallow in the northwestern and central parts of the region. An average EET of central Anatolia’s lithosphere is calculated by multispectral coherence between EGM08 Bouguer anomalies and ETOPO1 topographic data sets. Application of spectral coherence estimation provides an average EET value of 21.3 km and hence points out that the lithosphere is deflected. In addition, density contrasts of the horizontally and vertically extended in the uppermost crust were estimated using compact gravity inversion. We interpret the uppermost crustal blocks in terms of density contrasts may contribute to the total crustal load in addition to topographic loading.

Hf-Nd Isotopes in Archean Marine Chemical Sediments: Implications for the Geodynamical History of Early Earth and Its Impact on Earliest Marine Habitats

The Hf-Nd isotope systems are coupled in magmatic systems, but incongruent Hf weathering (‘zircon effect’) of the continental crust leads to a decoupling of the Hf-Nd isotope systems in low-temperature environments during weathering and erosion processes. The Hf-Nd isotope record was recently dated back from the Cenozoic oceans until the Archean, showing that both isotope systems were already decoupled in seawater 2.7 Ga ago and potentially 3.4 Ga and 3.7 Ga ago. While there might have existed a hydrothermal pathway for Hf into Archean seawater, incongruent Hf weathering of more evolved, zircon-bearing uppermost continental crust that was emerged and available for subaerial weathering accounts for a significant decoupling of Hf-Nd isotopes in the dissolved (<0.2 µm) and suspended (>0.2 µm) fractions of Early Earth’s seawater. These findings contradict the consensus that uppermost Archean continental crust was (ultra)mafic in composition and predominantly submerged. Hence, Hf-Nd isotopes in Archean marine chemical sediments provide the unique potential for future research to trace the emergence of evolved continental crust, which in turn has major implications for the geodynamical evolution of Early Earth and the nutrient flux into the earliest marine habitats on Earth.

Numerical Models of Pore Pressure and Stress Changes Along Basement Faults Due to Wastewater Injection: Applications to the 2014 Milan, Kansas Earthquake

AbstractWe have developed groundwater flow models to explore the possible relationship between wastewater injection and the 12 November 2014 Mw 4.8 Milan, Kansas earthquake. We calculate pore pressure increases in the uppermost crust using a suite of models in which hydraulic properties of the Arbuckle Formation and the Milan earthquake fault zone, the Milan earthquake hypocenter depth, and fault zone geometry are varied. Given pre‐earthquake injection volumes and reasonable hydrogeologic properties, significantly increasing pore pressure at the Milan hypocenter requires that most flow occur through a conductive channel (i.e., the lower Arbuckle and the fault zone) rather than a conductive 3‐D volume. For a range of reasonable lower Arbuckle and fault zone hydraulic parameters, the modeled pore pressure increase at the Milan hypocenter exceeds a minimum triggering threshold of 0.01 MPa at the time of the earthquake. Critical factors include injection into the base of the Arbuckle Formation and proximity of the injection point to a narrow fault damage zone or conductive fracture in the pre‐Cambrian basement with a hydraulic diffusivity of about 3–30 m2/s. The maximum pore pressure increase we obtain at the Milan hypocenter before the earthquake is 0.06 MPa. This suggests that the Milan earthquake occurred on a fault segment that was critically stressed prior to significant wastewater injection in the area. Given continued wastewater injection into the upper Arbuckle in the Milan region, assessment of the middle Arbuckle as a hydraulic barrier remains an important research priority.

Heat and Fluid Transport Induced by Convective Fluid Circulation Within a Fracture or Fault

AbstractNatural water convection in subvertical fractures, fracture zones, or faults can perturb the temperature field around the fracture and enhance and focus vertical heat flow within. We investigate, by means of numerical simulation, the effects of convection in a deeply buried vertical fracture zone. Fracture zone transmissivity, defined as permeability times thickness of the permeable region, is found to be the primary control on convection style rather than fracture zone thickness or permeability alone. In an impermeable host rock, the convection‐induced thermal anomaly propagates solely via conduction, diminishing away from the fracture. Convective heat flow increases with fracture transmissivity up to ~10−8 m3, when a plateau in convective heat flow is reached, constrained by fracture size and the host rock's thermal conductivity. Permeable host rocks modify these results significantly. In a moderately permeable host rock (10−14 m2), convection in the fracture induces non‐Rayleigh fluid convection, while thermal effects and fluid exchange between host rock and fracture remain moderate. If the host rock is sufficiently permeable to allow porous medium Rayleigh convection to occur (10−13 m2), the convection patterns within the fracture are overprinted by the host's convective patterns. Fluid exchange between the fracture and the rock will be significant. Our findings provide insight into how thermal anomalies in the uppermost crust may relate to locally enhanced heat flow from convection in nonoutcropping fractures below. Furthermore, the results for permeable host rocks provide evidence for previously inferred hydrologic scenarios for the formation of certain hydrothermal, vein‐type mineral deposits.

Basement characterization and crustal structure beneath the Arabia–Eurasia collision (Iran): A combined gravity and magnetic study

We present a study on the depth to basement and magnetic crustal domains beneath the Iranian Plateau by modeling aeromagnetic and gravity data. First, field processing of the aeromagnetic data was undertaken to estimate the general characteristics of the magnetic basement. Afterwards, inverse modeling of aeromagnetic data was carried out to estimate the depth to basement. The obtained model of basement was refined using combined gravity and magnetic forward modeling. Hereby, we were able to distinguish different magnetic domains in the uppermost crust (10–20 km depths) influencing the medium to long wavelength trends of the magnetic anomalies. Magnetic basement mapping shows that prominent shallow magnetic features are furthermore located in the volcanic areas, e.g. the Urumieh Dokhtar Magmatic Assemblage. The presence of ophiolite outcrops in SE Iran implies that shallow oceanic crust (with high magnetization) is the main source of one of the biggest magnetic anomalies in entire Iran area located north of the Makran.

Petrophysical, Geochemical, and Hydrological Evidence for Extensive Fracture‐Mediated Fluid and Heat Transport in the Alpine Fault's Hanging‐Wall Damage Zone

AbstractFault rock assemblages reflect interaction between deformation, stress, temperature, fluid, and chemical regimes on distinct spatial and temporal scales at various positions in the crust. Here we interpret measurements made in the hanging‐wall of the Alpine Fault during the second stage of the Deep Fault Drilling Project (DFDP‐2). We present observational evidence for extensive fracturing and high hanging‐wall hydraulic conductivity (∼10−9 to 10−7 m/s, corresponding to permeability of ∼10−16 to 10−14 m2) extending several hundred meters from the fault's principal slip zone. Mud losses, gas chemistry anomalies, and petrophysical data indicate that a subset of fractures intersected by the borehole are capable of transmitting fluid volumes of several cubic meters on time scales of hours. DFDP‐2 observations and other data suggest that this hydrogeologically active portion of the fault zone in the hanging‐wall is several kilometers wide in the uppermost crust. This finding is consistent with numerical models of earthquake rupture and off‐fault damage. We conclude that the mechanically and hydrogeologically active part of the Alpine Fault is a more dynamic and extensive feature than commonly described in models based on exhumed faults. We propose that the hydrogeologically active damage zone of the Alpine Fault and other large active faults in areas of high topographic relief can be subdivided into an inner zone in which damage is controlled principally by earthquake rupture processes and an outer zone in which damage reflects coseismic shaking, strain accumulation and release on interseismic timescales, and inherited fracturing related to exhumation.

Source Parameters of the 2016–2017 Central Italy Earthquake Sequence from the Sentinel-1, ALOS-2 and GPS Data

In this study, joint inversions of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Global Position System (GPS) measurements are used to investigate the source parameters of four Mw > 5 events of the 2016–2017 Central Italy earthquake sequence. The results show that the four events are all associated with a normal fault striking northwest–southeast and dipping southwest. The observations, in all cases, are consistent with slip on a rupture plane, with strike in the range of 157° to 164° and dip in the range of 39° to 44° that penetrates the uppermost crust to a depth of 0 to 8 km. The primary characteristics of these four events are that the 24 August 2016 Mw 6.2 Amatrice earthquake had pronounced heterogeneity of the slip distribution marked by two main slip patches, the 26 October 2016 Mw 6.1 Visso earthquake had a concentrated slip at 3–6 km, and the predominant slip of the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.6 Norcia earthquake occurred on the fault with a peak magnitude of 2.5 m at a depth of 0–6 km, suggesting that the rupture may have reached the surface, and the 18 January 2017 Mw 5.7 Campotosto earthquake had a large area of sliding at depth 3–9 km. The positive static stress changes on the fault planes of the latter three events demonstrate that the 24 August 2016 Amatrice earthquake may have triggered a cascading failure of earthquakes along the complex normal fault system in Central Italy.

Weak hydrothermal carbonation of the Ongeluk volcanics: evidence for low CO2 concentrations in seawater and atmosphere during the Paleoproterozoic global glaciation

It was previously revealed that the total CO2 concentration in seawater decreased during the Late Archean. In this paper, to assess the secular change of total CO2 concentration in seawater, we focused on the Paleoproterozoic era when the Earth experienced its first recorded global glaciation. The 2.4 Ga Ongeluk Formation outcrops in the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa. The formation consists mainly of submarine volcanic rocks that have erupted during the global glaciation. The undeformed lavas are mostly carbonate-free but contain rare disseminated calcites. The carbon isotope ratio of the disseminated calcite (δ13Ccc vs. VPDB) ranges from − 31.9 to − 13.2 ‰. The relatively low δ13Ccc values clearly indicate that the carbonation was partially contributed by 13C-depleted CO2 derived from decomposition of organic matter beneath the seafloor. The absence of δ13Ccc higher than − 13.2‰ is consistent with the exceptionally 13C-depleted CO2 in the Ongeluk seawater during glaciation. The results suggest that carbonation occurred during subseafloor hydrothermal circulation just after the eruption of the lavas. Previously, it was reported that the carbonate content in the uppermost subseafloor crust decreased from 3.2 to 2.6 Ga, indicating a decrease in total CO2 concentration in seawater during that time. However, the average CO2 (as carbonate) content in the Ongeluk lavas (< 0.001 wt%) is much lower than those of 2.6 Ga representatives and even of modern equivalents. This finding suggests that the total CO2 concentration in seawater further decreased during the period between 2.6 and 2.4 Ga. Thus, the very low content of carbonate in the Ongeluk lavas is probable evidence for the extremely low CO2 concentration in seawater during the global glaciation. Considering that the carbonate content of the subseafloor crusts also shows a good correlation with independently estimated atmospheric pCO2 levels through the Earth history, it seem highly likely that the low carbonate content in the Ongeluk lavas reflects the low atmospheric pCO2 at that time. We conclude that the continuous decrease in CO2 concentration of seawater/atm. from 3.2 Ga was one of the contributing factors to the Paleoproterozoic global glaciation.

VS of the uppermost crust structure of the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) from ambient noise Rayleigh wave analysis

Shear wave velocities (VS) are defined in the uppermost 1–2km of the Campi Flegrei caldera through the non-linear inversion of the group velocity dispersion curves of fundamental-mode Rayleigh waves extracted from ambient noise cross-correlations between two receivers. Noise recordings, three months long, at 12 seismic stations are cross-correlated between all couples of stations. The experiment provided successful results along 54 paths (inter-stations distance), of which 27 sampled a depth > 1km.VS contour lines are drawn from 0.06km b.s.l. to 1km depth b.s.l. and show difference between the offshore (gulf of Pozzuoli and coastline) and the onshore areas. At 0.06km b.s.l., the gulf of Pozzuoli and the coastline are characterized by VS of 0.3–0.5km/s and of 0.5–0.7km/s, respectively. Such velocities are typical of Neapolitan pyroclastic soils and fractured or altered tuffs. The inland shows VS in the range 0.7–0.9km/s, typical of Neapolitan compact tuffs. Velocities increase with depth and, at 1km depth b.s.l., velocities lower than 1.5km/s are still present in the gulf and along the coastline while velocities higher than 1.9km/s characterize the eastern sector (grossly coincident with the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff caldera rim), the S. Vito plain and the area between Solfatara and SW of Astroni.Such features are much more evident along two cross-sections drawn in the offshore and onshore sectors by integrating our VS models with literature data. Our models join previous noise cross-correlation studies at greater scale at depths of 0.7–0.8km, hence the picture of the Campi Flegrei caldera is shown up to a depth of 15km. VS of about 1.7km/s, corresponding to compression velocities (VP) of about 3km/s (computed by using the VP/VS ratio resulted in the inversion), are found at depths of 1.1km, in the centre of the gulf of Pozzuoli, and at a depth of about 0.7km b.s.l. onshore. An increment of VS velocity (~1.9–2.0km/s) is locally observed onshore which might be attributed to a layer of tuffs and tuffites interbedded with thin lava beds, according to the correlation of VS with stratigraphies in the deep drillings of S. Vito.

Using direct and coda wave envelopes to resolve the scattering and intrinsic attenuation structure of Southern California

AbstractCharacterizing scattering and absorbing properties and the power spectrum of crustal heterogeneity is a fundamental problem for informing strong ground motion estimates at high frequencies, where scattering and attenuation effects are critical. We perform a comprehensive study of local earthquake coda waves in Southern California to constrain scattering and intrinsic attenuation structure. We analyze data from 1195 spatially distributed earthquakes from 1981 to 2013 at source depths of 10 to 15 km and epicentral distances from 0 to 250 km with magnitudes larger than 1.8. We stack envelope functions from 28,127 vertical component and 27,521 transverse component seismograms, filtered from 2 to 4 Hz. We model these observations using a particle‐based Monte Carlo algorithm that includes intrinsic attenuation as well as both P and S wave scattering and both single and multiple scattering events. We find that spatially averaged coda wave behavior for Southern California can be explained only with models containing an increase in scattering strength and intrinsic attenuation within the uppermost crust, i.e., they are poorly fit with half‐space models of constant scattering strength. A reasonable fit to our data is obtained with a two‐layer model, composed of a shallow crustal layer with strong wide‐angle scattering and high P and S intrinsic attenuation and a deeper layer with weaker scattering and lower intrinsic attenuation (top 5.5 km: αQI=250, βQI=125, heterogeneity correlation length a = 50 m, fractional velocity heterogeneity ε = 0.4; lower crust: αQI=900, βQI=400, a = 2 km, ε = 0.05).

Tracking low-temperature tectonism of the St. Lawrence Platform and Humber Zone, southern Quebec Appalachians, through apatite and zircon (U–Th)/He thermochronology

The St. Lawrence Platform (SLP) and Humber Zone (HZ) of the southern Quebec Appalachians have been the subject of extensive studies to resolve the degree of thermal maturation, yet the timing of the thermal maximum is not well understood. We have employed apatite (AHe) and zircon (ZHe) (U–Th)/He thermochronometry across a network of Late Cambrian to Late Ordovician siliciclastic and Grenvillian basement outcrops to resolve the thermal history below 200 °C. Single crystal dates from individual samples exhibit age dispersion by as much as 300 million years, with a strong positive to negative correlation with increasing effective uranium (eU) concentration. The data in the southwestern portion of the basin allow for thermal maxima of up to 200 °C during the Late Ordovician or Early Devonian. Regional burial trends combined with local estimates of paleogeothermal gradients indicate that, if sedimentation continued after the Late Ordovician, there was no significant increase in burial in southwestern portions of the SLP as previously suggested. Heating was followed by protracted cooling through 180–100 °C during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, and the cooling rate increased by an order of magnitude through the uppermost crust (80–60 °C) until ca. 100 Ma. Both the external and internal HZ sections experienced rapid cooling through the Silurian after a Taconic thermal maximum. The HZ witnessed protracted cooling through the Late Jurassic, followed by accelerated cooling until the present. Increased recognition of these low-temperature events can augment our understanding of the evolution of accretionary orogens, consequently increasing the efficiency of petroleum exploration.

Upper crustal investigation of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence region, eastern Canada using ambient noise tomography

AbstractWe studied the 3‐D shear wave velocity (Vs) structure in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) and adjacent onshore areas to 20 km depth by inverting Rayleigh wave dispersion extracted from the vertical components of continuous ambient seismic noise waveforms. The region is divided into three broad zones based on their Vs characteristics. In the northwest, the Grenville Province (i.e., the exposed edge of predominantly Middle‐Proterozoic Laurentian crust) is dominated by high Vs, except for well‐known anorthosite sites, which are characterized by relatively lower Vs. In contrast, the central segment of the GSL region corresponds to a belt with generally low Vs at upper crustal levels. In the southeastern part of the GSL, prominent low Vs in the uppermost crust are found to coincide with locations of subsidiary basins of the Canadian Maritime Basin, while higher Vs characterize the accreted Appalachian terranes where they are exposed on land. The Grenville Province is wedged out at depth by the Red Indian Line, which is the suture between composite Laurentia and peri‐Godwanan Ganderia in the Canadian Appalachians. The geometry and Vs characteristics of the south‐easternmost peri‐Gondwanan terranes of Avalonia and Meguma suggest that they may be fully or partially structurally overlying a basement with distinct seismic characteristics, which could be a vestige of the West African craton that was underthrust beneath composite Laurentia during the terminal Alleghenian continent‐continent collision. In the middle of the GSL, the 3‐D geometry of the Canadian Maritimes sedimentary basins overlying the Appalachian terranes shows that the depth to the top of basement is in excess of 8 km.

Friction and scale-dependent deformation processes of large experimental carbonate faults

We studied the frictional behaviour and deformation products of large (20 cm × 20 cm bare surfaces) experimental limestone faults. We sheared samples in a direct shear configuration, with an imposed normal force of 40–200 kN and shear velocity of 10 μm/s. The steady-state shearing of these surfaces yielded a coefficient of friction 0.7<μ<1 (average μ∼0.9), significantly higher than gouge friction of the same material, μ∼0.6. Frictional healing, studied via slide-hold-slide tests, is null (Δμ≤0 upon re-shear). Moreover, sliding of these surfaces is accompanied by dilatation and production of grooves, gouge striations and fault mirrors. These products are entirely analogous to slip surface phenomena found on natural limestone-bearing faults at both the macroscale and at the microscale. We infer that high friction, accompanied by dilatant deformation, and null frictional healing are the macroscopic effect of brittle damage on the sliding surface, constrained by the strength of the rock and by fast healing processes in the gouge. Simultaneously to brittle failure, plastic deformation occurs on the sliding surface and inside the intact rock via nanoparticle formation (mirrors) and twinning at the micron scale. Because of the similarity between experimental and natural structures, we suggest that sliding of carbonate-bearing faults in the uppermost crust could be characterized by high friction, fast healing and strongly dilatant deformation, which would help to explain shallow seismicity frequently documented in carbonatic terrains such as the Northern Apennines of Italy.