Continental mantle seismic anisotropy: a new look at the Twin Sisters massif

Recent interpretations of upper continental mantle seismic anisotropy observations have often relied on fabric measurements and calculated anisotropies of upper mantle xenoliths. Seismic ray paths of P and S waves, which provide information on azimuthal compressional wave anisotropy and shear wave splitting, are tens to hundreds of kilometers, whereas, xenoliths are usually only a few centimeters in diameter. To place better constraints on field-based anisotropy observations and to evaluate anisotropy information provided by xenoliths, it is important to examine anisotropy in large ultramafic massifs which have originated in the upper mantle. One such massif is the Twin Sisters Range located in the western portion of the North Cascades of Washington State, USA. The Twin Sisters massif, a slab of unaltered dunite, is 16 km in length, 6 km in width and 3 km thick. Exposed along its south and west sides are mafic granulite facies rocks, which likely represent lower continental crustal fragments. The ultramafic rocks are porphyroclastic in texture, consisting of strained, flattened porphyroclasts of olivine and enstatite and strain-free olivine mosaics. Olivine fabrics are typical of those formed at high temperatures and low strain rates. Petrofabrics and calculated anisotropies of individual samples vary throughout the massif, however, overall anisotropy of the body is significant, with maximum P and S waves anisotropies of 5.4% and 3.9%, respectively. The maximum delay time for split shear waves traveling through a 100-km-thick slab is 0.8 s and two directions of shear wave singularity are observed. The directions of maximum shear wave splitting and shear wave singularities do not coincide with the directions of maximum and minimum compressional wave velocity. In general, individual hand samples show significantly higher anisotropy than the overall anisotropy of the massif. It is concluded that simple averages of xenolith anisotropies are unreliable for use in the interpretation of field anisotropy observations.     

Seismic properties of the upper mantle beneath Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Model predictions based on texture measurements by EBSD

We present a petrophysical analysis of upper mantle xenoliths, collected in the Quaternary alkali basalt fields (Series III and IV) from the island of Lanzarote. The samples consist of eight harzburgite and four dunite nodules, 5 to 15 cm in size, and exhibit a typical protogranular to porphyroclastic texture. An anomalous foliation resulting from strong recovery processes is observed in half of the specimens. The lattice preferred orientations (LPO) of olivine, orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene were measured using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). In most samples, olivine exhibits LPOs intermediate between the typical single crystal texture and the [100] fiber texture. Occasionally, the [010] fiber texture was also observed. Simultaneous occurrence of both types of fiber textures suggests the existence of more than one deformation regime, probably dominated by a simple shear component under low strain rate and moderate to high temperature. Orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene display a weaker but significant texture. The LPO data were used to calculate the seismic properties of the xenoliths at PT conditions obtained from geothermobarometry, and were compared to field geophysical data reported from the literature. The velocity of P-waves (7.9 km/s) obtained for a direction corresponding to the existing seismic transect is in good agreement with the most recent geophysical interpretation. Our results are consistent with a roughly W–E oriented fastest P-wave propagation direction in the uppermost mantle beneath the Canary Islands, and with the lithosphere structure proposed by previous authors involving a crust–mantle boundary at around 18 km in depth, overlaid by intermediate material between 11 and 18 km.     

Seismic anisotropy in the wedge above the Philippine Sea slab beneath Kanto and southwest Japan derived from shear wave splitting

We conduct shear wave splitting measurements on waveform data from the Hi-net and the broadband F-net seismic stations in Kanto and SW Japan generated by shallow and intermediate-depth earthquakes occurring in the subducting Philippine Sea and Pacific slabs. We obtain 1115 shear wave splitting parameter pairs. The results are divided into those from the shallow (depth < 50 km) and the deep (depth > 50 km) events. The deep events beneath Kanto are further divided into PHS1 and PHS2 (upper and lower planes of the double seismic zone in the Philippine Sea slab, respectively), PAC1 and PAC2 (western and eastern Pacific slab, respectively) events. The results from the shallow events represent the crustal anisotropy, and their fast directions are more or less aligned in the σ_Hmax directions, implying that the anisotropy is produced by the alignment of the vertical cracks in the crust induced by the compressive stresses. In Kanto, Kii Peninsula and Kyushu regions, the results from the deep events suggest a contribution from the mantle wedge anisotropy. Events from all groups beneath Kanto show NW, NE and EW fast directions. This complex pattern seems to be produced by the corner flows induced by both the WNW PAC plate subduction and the oblique NNW PHS slab subduction with the associated olivine lattice-preferred orientations (LPOs), and the anisotropy frozen in the PHS slab. The deep events beneath Kii Peninsula show NE and NW fast directions and may be produced by the corner flow produced by the NNW PHS slab subduction with the associated olivine LPOs. The NE directions might also be produced by the segregated melts in the thin layers parallel to the PHS slab subduction. The deep events beneath N Kyushu show NNW fast directions, which may result from the southeastward flow in the upper mantle inferred from the stresses in the upper plate. Results from the deep events beneath middle-south Kyushu show dominantly E–W fast directions, in both the fore- and back-arcs. They may be produced by the corner flow of the westward PHS slab subduction with the olivine LPOs. Because the source regions with multiple fast directions are not resolved in this study, further detailed analyses of shear wave splitting are necessary for a better understanding of the stress state, the induced mantle flow, and the melt-segregation processes.     

Anisotropic seismic properties of the upper mantle beneath the Torre Alfina area (Northern Apennines, Central Italy)

Central Italy is an active tectonic area that has been recently studied by several regional mantle, Pn and SKS, studies which revealed the presence of a strong regional anisotropy. In this paper, we present the first petrophysical results on the only mantle xenoliths from Central Italy, which place new constraints on the upper mantle structures of this region. The Torre Alfina mantle xenoliths are very small in size, from few millimetres to about 1.5 cm. They are mainly dunites and harzburgites, with subordinate lherzolites and wehrlites. Since olivine and spinel are always present, they should have crystallised in the spinel-bearing lherzolite field. Their mineralogical composition is ol+spl±opx±cpx. Both olivines and pyroxenes are present as porphyroclasts and as neoblasts. The xenoliths show different degrees of recrystallization. Geothermobarometry on these xenoliths give a temperature range of 1040±40 °C and a pressure estimate of about 1.5 GPa, corresponding to 50 to 60 km depth. Previous seismic studies have estimated the Moho to be at 20 to 25 km in this region, hence the xenoliths come from a hot mantle, probably asthenospheric, below a lithosphere of about 25 to 40 km in thickness below the Moho. We measure the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivines and pyroxenes using a SEM and the Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique. The CPO shows all three axes of olivine are tightly clustered: [100] axis is typically more tightly clustered than [010] and [001] is the most widely distributed axis. The fabric strength expressed by the integral J index, varies from 4.5 to 25.9, and decreases with the degree of recrystallization. We use CPO data to calculate anisotropic seismic properties of the xenoliths. They are very homogenous and probably statistically representative of the mantle below the Torre Alfina area. Vp ranges from 8.4 to 9.1 km/s, Vs₁ from 4.8 to 5.0 km/s. The seismic anisotropy is more variable; AVp ranges from 9.8% to 19.3% and AVs from 7.3% to 13.4%. The majority of the xenoliths display an orthorhombic seismic symmetry, but xenoliths with a transverse isotropic behaviour have also been observed.

We consider four geodynamic models for the source region of the xenoliths (extension, shear, upwelling, slab tilted), defined by different orientations of the structural reference frame, and we calculated for each model the variation of the seismic properties with temperature, pressure and volume fraction of orthopyroxene. After comparing this variation of calculated seismic parameters with seismic observations from the region, we form the hypothesis that the xenoliths come from either an extensional tectonic zone (lineation X and foliation plane XY horizontal) or transcurrent shear zone (lineation X horizontal and foliation plane XY vertical) and that the mantle beneath Torre Alfina is composed by 70% olivine and 30% orthopyroxene forming an anisotropic layer of about 160 or 110 km in thickness, respectively.     

A composite geologic and seismic profile beneath the southern Rio Grande rift, New Mexico, based on xenolith mineralogy, temperature, and pressure

A complete understanding of the processes of crustal growth and recycling in the earth remains elusive, in part because data on rock composition at depth is scarce. Seismic velocities can provide additional information about lithospheric composition and structure, however, the relationship between velocity and rock type is not unique. The diverse xenolith suite from the Potrillo volcanic field in the southern Rio Grande rift, together with velocity models derived from reflection and refraction data in the area, offers an opportunity to place constraints on the composition of the crust and upper mantle from the surface to depths of  60 km. In this work, we calculate seismic velocities of crustal and mantle xenoliths using modal mineralogy, mineral compositions, pressure and temperature estimates, and elasticity data. The pressure, temperature, and velocity estimates from xenoliths are then combined with sonic logs and stratigraphy estimated from drill cores and surface geology to produce a geologic and velocity profile through the crust and upper mantle. Lower crustal xenoliths include garnet ± sillimanite granulite, two-pyroxene granulite, charnokite, and anorthosite. Metagabbro and amphibolite account for only a small fraction of the lower crustal xenoliths, suggesting that a basaltic underplate at the crust–mantle boundary is not present beneath the southern Rio Grande rift. Abundant mid-crustal felsic to mafic igneous xenoliths, however, suggest that plutonic rocks are common in the middle crust and were intraplated rather than underplated during the Cenozoic. Calculated velocities for garnet granulite are between  6.9 and 8.0 km/s, depending on garnet content. Granulites are strongly foliated and lineated and should be seismically anisotropic. These results suggest that velocities > 7.0 km/s and a layered structure, which are often attributed to underplated mafic rocks, can also be characteristic of alternating garnet-rich and garnet-poor metasedimentary rocks. Because the lower crust appears to be composed largely of metasedimentary granulite, which requires deep burial of upper crustal materials, we suggest the initial construction of the continental crust beneath the Potrillo volcanic field occurred by thickening of supracrustal material in the absence of large scale magmatic accretion. Mantle xenoliths include spinel lherzolite and harzburgite, dunite, and clinopyroxenite. Calculated P-wave velocities for peridotites range from 7.75 km/s to 7.89 km/s, with an average of 7.82 km/s. This velocity is in good agreement with refraction and reflection studies that report P_n velocities of 7.6–7.8 km/s throughout most of the Rio Grande rift. These calculations suggest that the low P_n velocities compared to average uppermost mantle are the result of relatively high temperatures and low pressures due to thin crust, as well as a fertile, Fe-rich, bulk upper mantle composition. Partial melt or metasomatic hydration of the mantle lithosphere are not needed to produce the observed P_n velocities.     

Mechanism and timing of lithospheric modification and replacement beneath the eastern North China Craton: Peridotitic xenoliths from the 100 Ma Fuxin basalts and a regional synthesis

Lithospheric thinning beneath the eastern North China Craton is widely recognized, but the mechanism and timing of the thinning are contentious. New data on peridotitic xenoliths from the Cretaceous (∼100 Ma) Fuxin basalts at the northern edge of the craton have been integrated with data from other localities across the craton, to provide an overview of the processes involved. The Fuxin peridotite xenoliths can be subdivided into three types, which can also be recognized in other xenolith suites across the craton. The dominant Type 1, lherzolites with olivine Mg^# ∼90, represents fertile mantle (5-12% partial-melt extraction) that makes up much of the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic lithosphere beneath the craton. Type 2 consists of magnesian (olivine Mg^# >92) harzburgites, interpreted as shallow relics of the Archean cratonic mantle. Type 3, minor lherzolite xenoliths with olivine Mg^# ∼86 reflect the interaction of the lithosphere with magmas similar to the host basalts. In-situ Re-Os data on sulfides in xenoliths from Hebi (4 Ma, interior of the craton) and Hannuoba (22 Ma, northern edge of the Trans-North China Orogen within the craton) basalts give model ages of 3.1-3.0, 2.5, 2.2-2.1, 1.4 and 0.8 Ga, These correspond to the U-Pb ages of zircons from early Mesozoic (178 Ma) peridotitic xenoliths at the southern margin of the craton, and record events during which the Archean lithospheric mantle was modified. The dominance of fertile peridotite xenoliths in the 100 Ma Fuxin basalts indicates that the mantle replacement beneath the eastern North China Craton at least partly took place before that time. The regional synthesis suggests that Mesozoic-Cenozoic lithospheric thinning and mantle replacement was heterogeneously distributed across the North China Craton in space and time. Lateral spreading of the lithosphere, accompanied by asthenospheric upwelling and melt-peridotite interaction, is the most probable mechanism for the lithospheric thinning beneath the eastern part of the craton. Subsequent cooling of the upwelled asthenosphere caused some re-thickening of the lithosphere; this overall more fertile and hence denser lithosphere resulted in widespread basin formation.     

The magma plumbing system for the 1971 Teneguía eruption on La Palma,Canary Islands

The 1971 Teneguía eruption is the most recent volcanic event of the Cumbre Vieja rift zone on La Palma. The eruption produced basanite lavas that host xenoliths, which we investigate to provide insight into the processes of differentiation, assimilation and magma storage beneath La Palma. We compare our results to the older volcano magmatic systems of the island with the aim to reconstruct the temporal development of the magma plumbing system beneath La Palma. The 1971 lavas are clinopyroxene-olivine-phyric basanites that contain augite, sodic-augite and aluminium augite. Kaersutite cumulate xenoliths host olivine, clinopyroxene including sodic-diopside, and calcic-amphibole, whereas an analysed leucogabbro xenolith hosts plagioclase, sodic-augite-diopside, calcic-amphibole and hauyne. Mineral thermobarometry and mineral-melt thermobarometry indicate that clinopyroxene and plagioclase in the 1971 Teneguía lavas crystallised at 20–45 km depth, coinciding with clinopyroxene and calcic-amphibole crystallisation in the kaersutite cumulate xenoliths at 25–45 km and clinopyroxene, calcic-amphibole and plagioclase crystallisation in the leucogabbro xenolith at 30–50 km. Combined mineral chemistry and thermobarometry suggest that the magmas had already crystallised, differentiated and formed multiple crystal populations in the oceanic lithospheric mantle. Notably, the magmas that supplied the 1949 and 1971 events appear to have crystallised deeper than the earlier Cumbre Vieja magmas, which suggests progressive underplating beneath the Cumbre Vieja rift zone. In addition, the lavas and xenoliths of the 1971 event crystallised at a common depth, indicating a reused plumbing system and progressive recycling of Ocean Island plutonic complexes during subsequent magmatic activity.     

Structure of the crust and uppermost mantle of the Yanshan Belt and adjacent regions at the northeastern boundary of the North China Craton from Rayleigh Wave Dispersion Analysis

We have used Rayleigh wave dispersion analysis and inversion to produce a high resolution S-wave velocity imaging profile of the crust and uppermost mantle structure beneath the northeastern boundary regions of the North China Craton (NCC). Using waveform data from 45 broadband NCISP stations, Rayleigh wave phase velocities were measured at periods from 10 to 48 s and utilized in subsequent inversions to solve for the S-wave velocity structure from 15 km down to 120 km depth. The inverted lower crust and uppermost mantle velocities, about 3.75 km/s and 4.3 km/s on average, are low compared with the global average. The Moho was constrained in the depth range of 30–40 km, indicating a typical crustal thickness along the profile. However, a thin lithosphere of no more than 100 km was imaged under a large part of the profile, decreasing to only ~ 60 km under the Inner Mongolian Axis (IMA) where an abnormally slow anomaly was observed below 60 km depth. The overall structural features of the study region resemble those of typical continental rift zones and are probably associated with the lithospheric reactivation and tectonic extension widespread in the eastern NCC during Mesozoic–Cenozoic time. Distinctly high velocities, up to ~ 4.6 km/s, were found immediately to the south of the IMA beneath the northern Yanshan Belt (YSB), extending down to > 100-km depth. The anomalous velocities are interpreted as the cratonic lithospheric lid of the region, which may have not been affected by the Mesozoic–Cenozoic deformation process as strongly as other regions in the eastern NCC. Based on our S-wave velocity structural image and other geophysical observations, we propose a possible lithosphere–asthenosphere interaction scenario at the northeastern boundary of the NCC. We speculate that significant undulations of the base of the lithosphere, which might have resulted from the uneven Mesozoic–Cenozoic lithospheric thinning, may induce mantle flows concentrating beneath the weak IMA zone. The relatively thick lithospheric lid in the northern YSB may serve as a tectonic barrier separating the on-craton and off-craton regions into different upper mantle convection systems at the present time.     

Magmatism-related localized deformation in the mantle: a case study

A deformed composite peridotite-pyroxenite xenolith in Pliocene alkali basalts from the Pannonian Basin (Szentbékkálla, Bakony—Balaton Highland Volcanic Field) has been studied in detail. A narrow shear zone of intense deformation marked by porphyroclast elongation and recrystallization runs along the peridotite-pyroxenite contact. The xenolith contains a large volume of euhedral olivine neoblasts and tablet grains of olivine away from the shear zone interpreted as products of annealing and recrystallization in the presence of grain boundary fluid. Estimates of the time required for growth of recrystallized olivine grains suggest that the annealing took place in situ in the mantle and not during transport of the xenolith in the basalt magma. The grain boundary fluid present during recrystallization was a vapor rich silicate-melt different from the host basaltic melt that entrained the xenolith. This study demonstrates that high-stress deformation zones and associated fluid-assisted recrystallization, which are common features in kimberlite mantle xenoliths, also occur in some mantle xenoliths from alkali basalts. The suggested high-stress deformation zones in the mantle beneath the Pannonian Basin may be produced by paleoseismic events in the lithosphere associated with faulting related to the ascent of basalt magma.Editorial responsibility: J. Hoefs

---

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.     

Geophysical images of the creeping segment of the San Andreas fault: implications for the role of crustal fluids in the earthquake process

High-resolution magnetotelluric (MT) studies of the San Andreas fault (SAF) near Hollister, CA have imaged a zone of high fluid content flanking the San Andreas fault and extending to midcrustal depths. This zone, extending northeastward to the Calaveras fault, is imaged as several focused regions of high conductivity, believed to be the expression of tectonically bound fluid pockets separated by northeast dipping, impermeable fault seals. Furthermore, the spatial relationship between this zone and local seismicity suggests that where present, fluids inhibit seismicity within the upper crust (0–4 km). The correlation of coincident seismic and electromagnetic tomography models is used to sharply delineate geologic and tectonic boundaries. These studies show that the San Andreas fault plane is vertical below 2 km depth, bounding the southwest edge of the imaged fault-zone conductor (FZC). Thus, in the region of study, the San Andreas fault acts both as a conduit for along-strike fluid flow and a barrier for fluid flow across the fault. Combined with previous work, these results suggest that the geologic setting of the San Andreas fault gives rise to the observed distribution of fluids in and surrounding the fault, as well as the observed along-strike variation in seismicity.     

Seismic anisotropy distribution beneath southern Sakhalin

Shear wave splitting parameters from local deep-focus and crustal earthquakes beneath southern Sakhalin and northern Hokkaido have been measured. The study of the split shear wave amplitude, polarization, and splitting parameter distribution revealed their correlation with the geometry of the subsiding Pacific Plate and horizontal heterogeneity of the rheological properties and viscosity of the medium. Comparison of the observed data with those modeled in anisotropic media allows the mantle flow to be oriented NNW beneath southern Sakhalin and northern Hokkaido. Based on the split shear wave time delays, the degree of mantle anisotropy is estimated to be around 1–2% beneath southern Sakhalin and 1.5–2.5% beneath northern Hokkaido. A relatively high anisotropy (2–15%) from local crustal earthquakes is found beneath the Central Sakhalin Fault.     

Constraints on seismic velocity anomalies beneath the Siberian craton from xenoliths and petrophysics

High seismic Vp velocity anomalies (8.7–9.0 km s^− 1) have long been known about in regions of the uppermost mantle of the Siberian craton, often in association with kimberlite fields. Laboratory measurement of seismic properties of five xenoliths, three peridotites and two eclogites, from the Udachnaya kimberlite under confining pressures up to 600 MPa were extrapolated to uppermost mantle P–T conditions of 1500 MPa and 500 °C, however none of the velocities are high enough to explain the observations. Eclogites or peridotites are commonly considered to be the source of anomalous high velocities. We prefer a peridotitic source to an eclogitic source due to the unusual chemistry and regional uniformity of eclogitic garnets required, maximum velocity limitations on laboratory measurements of seismic properties of natural eclogites, and purported abundance of eclogites in the lithosphere. Alternatively, a highly depleted peridotite, such as dunite or harzburgite, can produce velocities high enough to match observations. Olivine petrofabrics in most peridotites, including the three peridotites used in this study, are great enough to produce the observed high velocities provided olivine petrofabrics are continuous enough and correctly oriented to be seismically detectable and the modal proportion of olivine is high. There have been suggestions by other authors that the Siberian upper mantle is highly depleted and that a lithosphere-scale shear zone exists, which may have acted to organize fabrics into segments large enough for detection. Anomalously high Vp–Vs velocity ratios of greater than 1.8 are expected parallel to the olivine [100] maxima required to be present in a high-velocity olivine-dominated upper mantle. Vp–Vs velocity ratios can serve as a means of inferring large-scale anisotropy when limited seismic data are available, as in Siberia.     

The state of the upper mantle beneath southern Africa

We present a new upper mantle seismic model for southern Africa based on the fitting of a large (3622 waveforms) multi-mode surface wave data set with propagation paths significantly shorter (≤ 6000 km) than those in globally-derived surface wave models. The seismic lithosphere beneath the cratonic region of southern Africa in this model is about 175 ± 25 km thick, consistent with other recent surface wave models, but significantly thinner than indicated by teleseismic body-wave tomography. We determine the in situ geotherm from kimberlite nodules from beneath the same region and find the thermal lithosphere model that best fits the nodule data has a mechanical boundary layer thickness of 186 km and a thermal lithosphere thickness of 204 km, in very good agreement with the seismic measurement. The shear wave velocity determined from analyzes of the kimberlite nodule compositions agree with the seismic shear wave velocity to a depth of 150 km. However, the shear wave velocity decrease at the base of the lid seen in the seismic model does not correspond to a change in mineralogy. Recent experimental studies of the shear wave velocity in olivine as a function of temperature and period of oscillation demonstrate that this wave speed decrease can result from grain boundary relaxation at high temperatures at the period of seismic waves. This decrease in velocity occurs where the mantle temperature is close to the melting temperature (within 100 °C).     

Highly heterogeneous Precambrian basement under the central Deccan Traps, India: Direct evidence from xenoliths in dykes

Crustal or mantle xenoliths are not common in evolved, tholeiitic flood basalts that cover huge areas of the Precambrian shields. Yet, the occasional occurrences provide the most direct and unequivocal evidence on basement composition. Few xenolith occurrences are known from the Deccan Traps, India, and inferences about the Deccan basement have necessarily depended on geophysical studies and geochemistry of Deccan lavas and intrusions. Here, we report two basalt dykes (Rajmane and Talwade dykes) from the central Deccan Traps that are extremely rich in crustal xenoliths of great lithological variety (gneisses, quartzites, granite mylonite, felsic granulite, carbonate rock, tuff). Because the dykes are parallel and only 4 km apart, and only a few kilometres long, the xenoliths provide clear evidence for high small-scale lithological heterogeneity and strong tectonic deformation in the Precambrian Indian crust beneath. Measured ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the xenoliths range from 0.70935 (carbonate) to 0.78479 (granite mylonite). The Rajmane dyke sampled away from any of the xenoliths shows a present-day ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of 0.70465 and initial (at 66 Ma) ratio of 0.70445. The dyke is subalkalic and fairly evolved (Mg No. = 44.1) and broadly similar in its Sr-isotopic and elemental composition to some of the lavas of the Mahabaleshwar Formation. The xenoliths are comparable lithologically and geochemically to basement rocks from the Archaean Dharwar craton forming much of southern India. As several lines of evidence suggest, the Dharwar craton may extend at least 350–400 km north under the Deccan lava cover. This is significant for Precambrian crustal evolution of India besides continental reconstructions.     

Local thickening of the Cascadia forearc crust and the origin of seismic reflectors in the uppermost mantle

Seismic reflection profiles from three different surveys of the Cascadia forearc are interpreted using P wave velocities and relocated hypocentres, which were both derived from the first arrival travel time inversion of wide-angle seismic data and local earthquakes. The subduction decollement, which is characterized beneath the continental shelf by a reflection of 0.5 s duration, can be traced landward into a large duplex structure in the lower forearc crust near southern Vancouver Island. Beneath Vancouver Island, the roof thrust of the duplex is revealed by a 5–12 km thick zone, identified previously as the E reflectors, and the floor thrust is defined by a short duration reflection from a < 2-km-thick interface at the top of the subducting plate. We show that another zone of reflectors exists east of Vancouver Island that is approximately 8 km thick, and identified as the D reflectors. These overlie the E reflectors; together the two zones define the landward part of the duplex. The combined zones reach depths as great as 50 km. The duplex structure extends for more than 120 km perpendicular to the margin, has an along-strike extent of 80 km, and at depths between 30 km and 50 km the duplex structure correlates with a region of anomalously deep seismicity, where velocities are less than 7000 m s^− 1. We suggest that these relatively low velocities indicate the presence of either crustal rocks from the oceanic plate that have been underplated to the continent or crustal rocks from the forearc that have been transported downward by subduction erosion. The absence of seismicity from within the E reflectors implies that they are significantly weaker than the overlying crust, and the reflectors may be a zone of active ductile shear. In contrast, seismicity in parts of the D reflectors can be interpreted to mean that ductile shearing no longer occurs in the landward part of the duplex. Merging of the D and E reflectors at 42–46 km depth creates reflectivity in the uppermost mantle with a vertical thickness of at least 15 km. We suggest that pervasive reflectivity in the upper mantle elsewhere beneath Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia arises from similar shear zones.     

The Anderson Reservoir seismic gap — Induced aseismicity?

A persistent 10-km seismicity gap along the Calaveras fault appears to be related to the presence of the Leroy Anderson Reservoir in the Calaveras-Silver Creek fault zones southeast of San Jose, California. A magnitude-4.7 earthquake occurred at a depth of 5 km in the centre of the gap on October 3, 1973. The sequence of immediate aftershocks usually accompanying shallow earthquakes of this magnitude in central California did not occur. A bridge crossing the reservoir near its southeast end has been severely deformed, apparently the result of tectonic creep on the Calaveras fault. The occurrence of creep and absence of small earthquakes along the Calaveras in the vicinity of the reservoir suggest a transition from stick slip to stable sliding, possibly brought about by increased pore pressure.     

Composition and thermal evolution of cratonic mantle beneath the central Archean Slave Province, NWT, Canada

The composition and thermal evolution of the upper mantle lithosphere beneath the central Archean Slave Province has been studied using mineral chemical and petrographic data from mantle xenoliths entrained in the Torrie kimberlite pipe. Coarse-, granuloblastic-, and porphyroclastic- textured harzburgite, lherzolite, and pyroxenite xenoliths yield equilibration temperatures ranging between 850 and 1350 °C. Thermobarometry of these samples requires a minimum lithospheric thickness of approximately 180 km at the time of kimberlite magmatism. The distribution of pressures and temperatures of equilibration for the xenoliths lie on a calculated 42 mWm⁻² paleogeotherm, ∼10 mWm⁻² lower than the present heat flow measured at Yellowknife, near the SW margin of the Slave Province. The Mg# [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] of olivine in peridotites varies between 0.906 and 0.938 with an average of 0.920. The Torrie xenolith suite shows variable degrees of serpentinization and/or carbonation with the rim compositions of many clinopyroxene grains showing Ca enrichment, but in general, the xenoliths are homogeneous at all scales. The Torrie xenoliths are rich in orthopyroxene similar to low temperature (<1100 °C) peridotites from southern Africa, and Siberia. Estimates of bulk rock composition based on mineral chemical and modal data reveal a negative correlation between Si and Fe, similar to peridotite xenoliths from Udachnaya. The similarity of olivine Mg#s with other cratons combined with the negative correlation of Fe and Si suggest that the lithosphere beneath the Slave craton has experienced a evolution similar to other cratons globally. Received: 22 January 1998 / Accepted: 27 August 1998     

Lithospheric petrology beneath the northern part of the Arabian Plate in Syria: evidence from xenoliths in alkali basalts

A petrological model for the upper mantle and lower crust under the northern part of the Arabian Plate (Syria) has been derived on the basis of petrology of upper mantle and lower crustal xenoliths occurring in the Neogene to Quaternary alkali basalts of the Shamah volcanic fields. The xenolith suite has been classified by texture mineralogy and chemistry into the following groups: (1) Type I metasomatised and dry Cr diopside xenoliths with protogranular to porphyroclastic textures; (2) Type II Al augite spinal and garnet pyroxenite and websterite which have igneous and/or porphyroclastic textures and abundant phlogopite and/or amphibole; (3) Cr-poor megacrysts; and (4) mafic lower crustal xenoliths. Estimates of Type I xenolith temperatures are 990–1070°C with pressure between 13 and 19 kbar. Type II xenoliths yield temperatures of 930–1150°C and pressures in the range 12—13 kbar. The lower crustal xenolith mineral assemblages and geothermometry based on coexisting minerals suggest equilibration conditions between 6 and 8 kbar and 820–905°C. Mantle plumes, which may be the source of the volatile flux, have implications for melt generation in the Arabian basalt provinces. It is estimated that the lithosphere beneath the Arabian Plate is less than 80 km thick. Xenolith data and geophysical studies indicate that the Moho is located at a depth of 40–37 km and that the crust-mantle transition zone has a thickness of 8–5 km and occurs at a depth of 27–30 km. The boundary between an upper granitic crust and a lower mafic crust occurs at a depth of 19 km. Type I dry xenoliths show a low overall concentration of REE (La/Yb =1–2 and Sm = 0.7–1.1 times chondrite), whereas Type I hydrous xenoliths are LREE enriched (La/Yb=6–9 and Sm=1.1–1.3 times chondrite). Type II xenoliths show high overall LREE enrichment. Petrological and geochemical data for the lower crustal xenoliths indicate that these xenoliths represent basaltic cumulates crystallised at lower crustal pressures.     

Water transportation from the subducting slab into the mantle transition zone

Using a recently developed petrogenetic grid for MORB + H₂O, we propose a new model for the transportation of water from the subducting slab into the mantle transition zone. Depending on the geothermal gradient, two contrasting water-transportation mechanisms operate at depth in a subduction zone. If the geothermal gradient is low, lawsonite carries H₂O into mantle depths of 300 km; with further subduction down to the mantle transition depth (approximately 400 km) lawsonite is no longer stable and thereafter H₂O is once migrated upward to the mantle wedge then again carried down to the transition zone due to the induced convection. At this depth, hydrous β-phase olivine is stable and plays a role as a huge water reservoir. In contrast, if the geothermal gradient is high, the subducted slab may melt at 700–900 °C at depths shallower than 80 km to form felsic melt, into which water is dissolved. In this case, H₂O cannot be transported into the mantle below 80 km. Between these two end-member mechanisms, two intermediate types are present. In the high-pressure intermediate type, the hydrous phase A plays an important role to carry water into the mantle transition zone. Water liberated by the lawsonite-consuming continuous reaction moves upward to form hydrous phase A in the hanging wall, which transports water into deeper mantle. This is due to a unique character of the reaction, because Phase A can become stable through the hydration reaction of olivine. In the case of low-pressure intermediate type, the presence of a dry mantle wedge below 100 km acts as a barrier to prevent H₂O from entering into deeper mantle.