Time-series temperature measurements at high-temperature hydrothermal vents, East Pacific Rise 9°49′–51′N: evidence for monitoring a crustal cracking event

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

Asymmetric mantle dynamics in the MELT region of the East Pacific Rise

The mantle electromagnetic and tomography (MELT) experiment found a surprising degree of asymmetry in the mantle beneath the fast-spreading, southern East Pacific Rise (MELT Seismic Team, Science 280 (1998) 1215–1218; Forsyth et al., Science 280 (1998) 1235–1238; Toomey et al., Science 280 (1998) 1224–1227; Wolfe and Solomon, Science 280 (1998) 1230–1232; Scheirer et al., Science 280 (1998) 1221–1224; Evans et al., Science 286 (1999) 752–756). Pressure-release melting of the upwelling mantle produces magma that migrates to the surface to form a layer of new crust at the spreading center about 6 km thick (Canales et al., Science 280 (1998) 1218–1221). Seismic and electromagnetic measurements demonstrated that the distribution of this melt in the mantle is asymmetric (Forsyth et al., Science 280 (1998) 1235–1238; Toomey et al., Science 280 (1998) 1224–1227; Evans et al., Science 286 (1999) 752–756) at depths of several tens of kilometers, melt is more abundant beneath the Pacific plate to the west of the axis than beneath the Nazca plate to the east. MELT investigators attributed the asymmetry in melt and geophysical properties to several possible factors: asymmetric flow passively driven by coupling to the faster moving Pacific plate; interactions between the spreading center and hotspots of the south Pacific; an off-axis center of dynamic upwelling; and/or anomalous melting of an embedded compositional heterogeneity (MELT Seismic Team, Science 280 (1998) 1215–1218; Forsyth et al., Science 280 (1998) 1235–1238; Toomey et al., Science 280 (1998) 1224–1227; Wolfe and Solomon, Science 280 (1998) 1230–1232; Evans et al., Science 286 (1999) 752–756). Here we demonstrate that passive flow driven by asymmetric plate motion alone is not a sufficient explanation of the anomalies. Asthenospheric flow from hotspots in the Pacific superswell region back to the migrating ridge axis in conjunction with the asymmetric plate motion can create many of the observed anomalies.     

东太平洋北部洋中脊上地壳精细结构地震探测

海洋多道反射地震成像是研究大洋岩石圈结构、岩浆系统和热液活动等信息的重要手段.受限于缆长、水深和采集方式等因素, 水听器拖缆接收到的用于速度建模的壳内折射震相通常仅出现在较远偏移距, 同时仅利用走时信息反演获得的速度模型只含有长波长的结构信息, 严重制约了速度模型分辨率与地震成像效果.本文在传统初至波走时层析成像方法的基础上, 加入地震波场的向下延拓、全波形反演和逆时偏移成像, 发展了一套能显著提高洋中脊浅部结构分辨率的地震数据处理、建模与成像流程, 并成功应用到东太平洋北部洋中脊五条垂直于洋脊轴的代表测线中.速度模型显示上地壳2A和2B层分别表现为高和低速度梯度特征, 上地壳速度结构呈现不连续的低速异常特征, 且与断裂或热液活动信号具有较好的空间对应关系.同时, 地震成像也显示了2A/2B层存在明显的非均质性, 表明上地壳结构受到岩浆-构造-热液作用的共同影响.本研究不仅为建立快速扩张洋中脊三维岩浆-构造-热液地质模型提供了支撑, 同时为这套流程在其他研究区的应用提供了方法基础.

     

Spatial and temporal variations of subsidence of the East Pacific Rise (0–23°S)

The distributions of crustal depths as a function of age have been analysed for the southeast Pacific region, along the East Pacific Rise, between the Equator and the Easter microplate (23°S). Using age data and a new compilation of bathymetric data, subsidence rates (for both eastern and western flanks), asymmetry of subsidence and zero-age depths, are computed within flow-line corridors on the Nazca and Pacific plates. Variations of subsidence rates, axial depths and subsidence asymmetry are examined both in space (within corridors) and time (within several age intervals). The variability in these parameters along the strike of the East Pacific Rise is systematic and serves to define several orders of ridge segmentation. The largest variations of these parameters are correlated with the large-scale segmentation of the ridge axis (i.e. transform faults and very large overlapping spreading centres) and are interpreted as related to variations in mantle heterogeneities mainly dependent upon temperature. Smaller variations of subsidence parameters are correlated with second- (and sometimes third-) order segmentation of the ridge axis, which could be related to variations in axial magmatic supply. Across-strike variations of subsidence suggest the existence of small lateral temperature and density variations in the mantle. When analysing the slope of the distribution of depth versus square root of age within corridors, we have observed the existence of changes in the slope which occur at specific age limits. We have estimated the subsidence over different age ranges in order to determine the temporal evolution of subsidence parameters (rates and asymmetry). Such an analysis may inform on the past axial segmentation and on the persistence of axial discontinuities in time. A linear relationship between subsidence rates and axial depths is determined for each age range and suggests that shallower segments subside faster than deeper segments. Although a similar, statistically defined linear relationship exists for any mid-ocean spreading ridge (both for intermediate or fast–ultrafast spreading), the resultant slopes of this relationship vary from ocean to ocean and show that this relationship is not universal over all oceans.     

Oceanic crust and Moho of the Pacific Plate in the eastern Ogasawara Plateau region

Abstract   To show the structure of oceanic crust and Moho around the eastern Ogasawara Plateau, we have analyzed industry-standard two-dimensional multichannel seismic reflection data. To obtain improved velocity models, phase information of seismic signals was used for velocity analysis and velocity models for oceanic crust above Moho were determined. We apply this velocity analysis technique to seismic reflection data around the eastern Ogasawara Plateau, with the result of clear images of structures within oceanic crust and Moho. South of the Ogasawara Plateau, Moho deepens proximal to the Plateau. Moho distal to the Plateau is ca 7 km below sea floor (bsf), whereas it is ca 10 km bsf near the Plateau. The characters of oceanic crust and Moho differ significantly north and south of the Plateau. To the north, the structure of oceanic crust is ambiguous, the sea floor is shallower and less smooth, and Moho is discontinuous. To the south, structures within oceanic crust and Moho are imaged clearly, and the sea floor is deeper. A strong Moho reflection south of the Plateau might represent a sharp boundary between layered gabbro and peridotite. However, discontinuous Moho reflections north of the Plateau might represent rough topography because of intensive magmatism or a gradual downward increase in velocity within a thick Moho transition zone. A fracture zone north of the Plateau also appears to separate oceanic crust and Moho of different characters, suggesting vigorous magmatism between the Plateau and the fracture zone, and that the Ogasawara Plateau and the fracture zone influenced the genesis of oceanic crust and upper mantle. Differences in acoustic characteristics to the north and south of the Plateau are apparent in profiles illuminated by seismic attributes.     

Mechanical decoupling and thermal structure at the East Pacific Rise axis 9°N: Constraints from axial magma chamber geometry and seafloor structures

We study the relationships between the seafloor structures and the axial magma chamber geometry in the 9°N overlapping spreading center (OSC) area on the fast spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR). Our observations are based on a new high resolution bathymetric map of the 9°N OSC area derived from picks of the seafloor arrival on 3D seismic data, and on previously published data that constrain the presence and distribution of melt below the 9°N OSC. Differences in the orientation of structures between the seafloor and the magma chamber indicate a sharp change in principal stress directions with depth, suggesting that the brittle crust above the melt sill is decoupled from the melt sill itself and the ductile crust underlying it. The stress-field within the brittle upper crust results from a local interaction of the two overlapping spreading centers, whereas the stress-field in the crust below the melt sill corresponds to the regional stress-field imposed by plate separation. Given this mechanical structure of the crust, the melt sill shape and location appear to be controlled by the following factors: the location of the deep melt source below the melt sill, the ambient stress-field at the depth of the melt sill, and the stress-field in the brittle upper crust above the melt sill, which thermally shapes the roof of the melt sill through repeated eruptions.     

Laboratory measurements of ‘porosity‐free’ intrinsic Vp and Vs in an olivine gabbro of the Oman ophiolite: Implication for interpretation of the seismic structure of lower oceanic crust

In order to determine ‘porosity‐free’ intrinsic ultrasonic compressional (Vp) and shear wave (Vs) velocities and Vp/Vs of an olivine gabbro from the Oman ophiolite, we developed a new experimental system using a piston‐cylinder type high‐pressure apparatus. The new system allowed us to measure velocities at pressures ranging from 0.20 to 1.00 GPa and at temperatures up to 300°C for Vp and 400°C for Vs. At room temperature, the Vp and Vp/Vs increase rapidly with pressure up to 0.40 GPa, while between 0.45 and 1.00 GPa the increase is more gradual. The change in increasing rate is attributed to closure of porosity at pressures above 0.45 GPa. Based on the linear regression of data obtained at higher pressures (0.45–1.00 GPa) and extrapolation to the lower pressures, combined with temperature derivatives of velocities of the sample measured at 1.00 GPa, we determined the intrinsic Vp and Vs of the sample as a function of pressure (P, in GPa) and temperature (T, in °C). The intrinsic velocities can be expressed as Vp (km/s) = 7.004 + 0.096 × P ? 0.00015 × T, and Vs (km/s) = 3.827 + 0.007 × P ? 0.00008 × T. We evaluated the intrinsic Vp and Vs of the olivine gabbro at oceanic crustal conditions and compared them with a velocity depth‐profile of the borehole seismic observatory WP‐2 area in the northwestern Pacific Basin. Although the intrinsic Vp (～7.0 km/s) and Vs (～3.8 km/s) for the olivine gabbro studied are comparable to those of seismic layer 3 in the WP‐2 area, the estimated vertical gradients of intrinsic velocities are significantly smaller than those reported from layer 3. These results suggest that velocity profiles of layer 3 in the WP‐2 area may reflect the presence of a minor porosity in lower oceanic crust, which closes with increasing depth and/or continuous changes in mineralogy of layer 3 rocks.     

The role of lower continental crust and lithospheric mantle in the genesis of Plio–Pleistocene volcanic rocks from Sardinia (Italy)

The first comprehensive chemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data set of Plio–Pleistocene tholeiitic and alkaline volcanic rocks cropping out in Sardinia (Italy) is presented here. These rocks are alkali basalts, hawaiites, basanites, tholeiitic basalts and basaltic andesites, and were divided into two groups with distinct isotopic compositions. The vast majority of lavas have relatively high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7043–0.7051), low ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd (0.5124–0.5126), and are characterised by the least radiogenic Pb isotopic composition so far recorded in Italian (and European) Neogene-to-Recent mafic volcanic rocks (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=17.55–18.01) (unradiogenic Pb volcanic rocks, UPV); these rocks crop out in central and northern Sardinia. Lavas of more limited areal extent have chemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic ratios indicative of a markedly different source (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr=0.7031–0.7040; ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd=0.5127–0.5129; ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb=18.8–19.4) (radiogenic Pb volcanic rocks, RPV), and crop out only in the southern part of the island. The isotopic ratios of these latter rocks match the values found in the roughly coeval anorogenic (i.e. not related to recent subduction events in space and time) mafic volcanic rocks of Italy (i.e. Mt. Etna, Hyblean Mts., Pantelleria, Linosa), and Cenozoic European volcanic rocks. The mafic rocks of the two Sardinian rock groups also show distinct trace element contents and ratios (e.g. Ba/Nb>14, Ce/Pb=8–25 and Nb/U=29–38 for the UPV; Ba/Nb<9, Ce/Pb=24–28 and Nb/U=46–54 for the RPV). The sources of the UPV could have been stabilised in the Precambrian after low amounts of lower crustal input (about 3%), or later, during the Hercynian Orogeny, after input of Precambrian lower crust in the source region, whereas the sources of the RPV could be related to processes that occurred in the late Palaeozoic–early Mesozoic, possibly via recycling of proto-Tethys oceanic lithosphere by subduction.