Statistical analysis of isotopic ratios in MORB: the mantle blob cluster model and the convective regime of the mantle

A statistical examination of isotopic distributions for MORB from various ocean ridges leads to the “blob cluster model”, in which the oceanic crust accreting at ridges results from the mixing of two components within the ascending mantle. These are (1) upper mantle material and (2) discrete rising blobs of more radiogenic material. The blobs are fractionated to a variable degree and are distributed in the upper mantle circulation in a manner that is related to the spreading rate.(1) Themean values of the isotopic distributions allow us to calculate the probabilities of the two types of material within the mantle. The results show that theproportion of asthenospheric material in the mixtureincreases with the spreading rate, in agreement with the hypothesis of blob dilution within the upper mantle convection.Mass fluxes can be estimated for the rising blobs from these probabilities, which depend on the respective concentrations in the sources of the two types of material. If the blobs originate in the lower mantle, this flux estimation would suggest that a significant part of the lower mantle has been injected into the upper mantle during earth history.(2) Thestandard deviations of the distributions depend on the “efficiency” of the mixing process:the more imbricated are the asthenospheric and blob materials in the mixture,the smaller is theisotopic spread. This efficiency parameter is shown to increase with the spreading rate, as already suggested by previous comparisons between the East Pacific Rise and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Moreover, this feature may also be correlated with other data such as ridge bathymetric variations.     

A nonstationary model of the thermal regime of axial zones of mid-ocean ridges: Formation of crustal and mantle magma chambers

A nonstationary model of spreading with periodic intrusions of a molten material into an axial zone of a mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is applied to numerical analysis of the thermal state in MOR axial zones and the formation of crustal and mantle magma chambers in them. The model satisfactorily explains the positions, dimensions, and shapes of magma chambers, as well as variations in these parameters depending on the spreading rate, temperature, and composition of crustal and mantle rocks. The release and absorption of the latent heat of rock melting, hydrothermal heating of the crust, and variations in the solidus and liquidus temperatures of crustal and mantle rocks as a function of their composition are factors controlling the shape and position of crustal magma chambers.     

Geochemical constraints on the model of the composition and thermal conditions of the Moon according to seismic data

A new method of reconstruction of the temperature profile in the lunar mantle from the velocities of seismic P- and S-waves for different models of chemical composition is developed. The procedure of the solution of an inverse problem is realized with the help of the minimization of the Gibbs free energy and the equations of state of a mantle substance, taking into account phase transformations, anharmonicity, and the effects of inelasticity. The geophysical and geochemical constraints on composition and temperature distribution in Moon’s mantle are established. The upper mantle can be composed of olivine pyroxenite, depleted by low-volatile oxides (∼2 wt % of CaO and Al₂O₃). On the contrary, the lower mantle must be enriched by low-volatile oxides (∼4–6 wt % of CaO and Al₂O₃). Its composition can be represented by a mineral association of the olivine + clinopyroxene + garnet or olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + garnet type, which is close in composition to pyrolite. The temperature distribution at depths 50–1000 km are approximated by the equation: T(°C) = 351 + 1718[1–exp (−0.00082H)]. The constraints inferred make it possible to conclude that the published values of the velocities of P- and S-waves for the lunar mantle, obtained by processing the data of seismic experiments of the Apollo lunar mission are inconsistent with each other at depths below 300 km. Otherwise, the variations in the velocities of P- and S-waves disturb the symmetry between the petrological model (composition), the temperature profile, and the seismic profile.     

On the chemical composition of the Moon,Jupiter, meteorites and Am stars

If surface anomalies in the composition of the metallic-line A stars (Am stars) are due to a precipitation of planet-like bodies (planetoids) on them, then one should expect a correlation to exist between the overabundance of heavier-than-iron elements on these stars and their “standard” abundances in the solar system (since chondrites provide the “standard” level for these elements). However, an anticorrelation was revealed.Nevertheless, this fact supports the original suggestion on the origin of the metallicism of A stars, and can easily be explained within the author's hypothesis on the formation of the Sun from matter escaping from the proto-Jupiter. During the terminal stages of mass transfer, the matter was strongly depleted in refractories (forming the rocky core of Jupiter). Therefore the composition of the meteorites formed should not coincide with the primary composition of the matter. Thus the Sun's outer layers may also have a distorted composition. The author concludes that it is desirable to revise the “standard” abundances of elements heavier than iron.From a comparison of the surface composition of Am stars with the composition of lunar anorthosites and that of rocks in the upper zones of the Skaergaard intrusion (Greenland), the Am phenomenon may be seen to result from a precipitation of large geochemically differentiated planetoids onto a star. Such planetoids (including the Moon) condense in the cooled envelope of the primary component of a close binary stellar system.     

The thermal state and composition of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Leizhou Peninsula, South China

Two localities on the Leizhou Peninsula, southern China (Yingfengling and Tianyang basaltic volcanoes) yield a wide variety of mantle-derived xenoliths including Cr-diopside series mantle wall rocks and two distinct types of Al-augite series pyroxenites. Metapyroxenites have re-equilibrated granoblastic microstructures whereas pyroxenites with igneous microstructures have not thermally equilibrated to the mantle conditions. An abundant suite of megacrysts and megacrystic aggregates (including garnet, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, ilmenite and apatite) is interpreted as the pegmatitic equivalents of the igneous pyroxenite suite. Layered spinel lherzolite/spinel websterite xenoliths were formed by metamorphic differentiation caused by mantle deformation, inferred to be related to lithospheric thinning. Some metapyroxenites have garnet websterite assemblages that allow calculation of their mantle equilibration temperatures and pressures and the construction of the first xenolith geotherm for the southernmost China lithosphere. Heat flow data measured at the surface in this region yield model conductive geotherms (using average crustal conductivity values) that are consistent with the xenolith geotherm for the mantle. The calculated mean surface heat flux is 110 mW/m². This high heat flux and the high geotherm are consistent with young lithospheric thinning in southern China, and with recent tomography results showing shallow low-velocity zones in this region. The xenolith geotherm allows the construction of a lithospheric rock type section for the Leizhou region; it shows that the crust–mantle boundary lies at about 30 km, consistent with seismic data, and that the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary lies at about 100 km.     

Testing the robustness of the physically-based ECOMAG model with respect to changing conditions

Abstract

The robustness of the physically-based, semi-distributed hydrological model ECOMAG with respect to changing (climatic or land-use) conditions was evaluated for two basins, considered within the modelling workshop held in the frame of the 2013 IAHS conference in Göteborg, Sweden. The first basin, the Garonne River basin, France, is characterized mostly by changes in climatic conditions, while the second, Obyån Creek, Sweden, was exposed to drastic land cover change due to deforestation. Tests were conducted to evaluate the model’s ability to simulate with acceptable accuracy the changing hydrological regime of each basin and to retain, in the process, relatively stable values of the parameters. Acceptable performance of the ECOMAG model was obtained under the different combinations of the calibration/evaluation periods, including, importantly, the periods of hydrological regime changes in both basins.     

Testing the robustness of the physically-based ECOMAG model with respect to changing conditions

Abstract

The robustness of the physically-based, semi-distributed hydrological model ECOMAG with respect to changing (climatic or land-use) conditions was evaluated for two basins, considered within the modelling workshop held in the frame of the 2013 IAHS conference in Göteborg, Sweden. The first basin, the Garonne River basin, France, is characterized mostly by changes in climatic conditions, while the second, Obyån Creek, Sweden, was exposed to drastic land cover change due to deforestation. Tests were conducted to evaluate the model’s ability to simulate with acceptable accuracy the changing hydrological regime of each basin and to retain, in the process, relatively stable values of the parameters. Acceptable performance of the ECOMAG model was obtained under the different combinations of the calibration/evaluation periods, including, importantly, the periods of hydrological regime changes in both basins.     

Dependence of the chemical composition of thermal waters upon seismic activity

Changes in the chemical composition of the hot springs of Mendeleev Volcano (Kunashir Island) as for Cl^?, SO ₄ ^2? , CO₂, NH ₄ ⁺ and Cl^?/SO ₄ ^2? are given in function of the 1965–66 and 1973 (in part) seismic activity in the South Kurile islands.     

Some geophysical constraints on the chemical composition of the earth's lower mantle

The physical properties(?, K, K′) of the adiabatically decompressed lower mantle are interpreted in terms of an (Mg,Fe)SiO₃ perovskite + magnesiowüstite mineralogy. The approach employed in this paper involves the removal of the relatively better characterised magnesiowüstite component from the two-phase mixture in order to highlight the physical properties required of the perovskite phase for consistency between the seismological data and any proposed compositional model. It is concluded that a wide tradeoff (emphasized by Davies [1]) between composition, temperature and the physical properties (especially thermal expansion) of the perovskite phase accommodates most recently proposed compositional models including Ringwood's [2] pyrolite and the more silicic models of Burdick and Anderson [3], Anderson [4], Sawamoto [5], Butler and Anderson [6], Liu [7,8] and Watt and Ahrens [9].     

Structure of the back-arc spreading basins and the fluid regime in the mantle

Seismic, geothermal, petrological and other data collected during the joint Soviet-Chinese-Japanese Project “Geotraverse: Pacific-China plain” are highly contradictory concerning their information on back-arc basins. The routine interpretation of the geothermal data leads, e.g. to the conclusion that the temperatures at depth are much higher than can be derived from other data. The discrepancies can be resolved by the back-arc spreading basins origin because of secondary mantle bulk or fluid convection. The inversion of the sign of the seismic velocity anomalies in the Pacific region at a depth of about 300 km can also be explained if active deep fluid regime is proposed. A new geotherm below the Mariana back-arc basin is proposed, and the velocity of the ascending mantle flow is estimated for this region.     

Effect of composition,structure, and spin state on the thermal conductivity of the Earth's lower mantle

The change in electronic structure of iron at high pressures to spin-paired states in ferropericlase, silicate perovskite, and post-perovskite may have a profound influence on the thermal conductivity of the lower mantle. Here, we present optical absorption data for lower mantle minerals to assess the effect of composition (including iron oxidation state), structure, and iron spin state on radiative heat transfer. We confirm that the presence of ferric iron in ferropericlase strongly affects the optical properties, while the effect of the spin-pairing transition may be more secondary. We also show that post-perovskite exhibits larger optical absorption in the near infrared and visible spectral ranges than perovskite which may have a profound effect on the dynamics the lowermost mantle. We present preliminary results from measurements of the phonon thermal conductivity of perovskite at 125 GPa using a pulsed laser heating technique. The available data suggest a larger value than what previously estimated, although the uncertainty is large.     

Thermal regime in the earth's core and lower mantle

Current views favour the presence of sulphur in the core, giving a composition of Fe + FeS. It is argued that the core composition is close to the eutectic and that this eutectic composition is Fe₂S. The consequences for the thermal regime in the core are examined in terms of the most likely properties of the Fe₂S eutectic. This leads to much lower temperatures than would be expected for an iron or FeSi core.Consideration of the thermal regime in the mantle and the probable thermal properties of lower-mantle assemblages leads to a similar low temperature for the core-mantle boundary. These temperatures require a temperature gradient near the adiabatic in the mantle, implying a convective thermal history.     

Chemical heterogeneity of the Archaean mantle,composition of the earth and mantle evolution

New rare earth element (REE) data for Archaean basalts and spinifex-textured peridotites (STP) show a range of La/Sm ratios (chondrite-normalized) from 0.36 to 3.5, with the bulk of the data in the range 0.7–1.3. This supports the hypothesis, based on Sr isotope initial ratios, that the Archaean mantle was chemically heterogeneous. We suggest that the bulk mantle source for Archaean basaltic magmas was close to an undepleted earth material. An average chemical composition of the Archaean mantle is estimated using chemical regularities observed in Archaean STP and high-magnesian basalts. TiO₂ and MgO data show an inverse correlation which intersects the MgO axis at about 50% MgO (Fo₉₂). TiO₂ abundance in the mantle source is measured on this plot by assigning anMgO= 38% for the mantle. Concentrations of other elements are also estimated and these data are then used to obtain a composition for the bulk earth. We suggest an earth model with about 1.35 times ordinary chondrite abundances of refractory lithophile elements and about 0.2 times carbonaceous type 1 chondrite abundances of moderately volatile elements (such as Na, Rb, K, Mn). P shows severe depletion in the model earth relative to carbonaceous chondrites, a feature either due to volatilization or core formation (preferred). Our data support the hypothesis of Ringwood that the source material for the earth is a carbonaceous chondrite-like material.The generation of mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) is examined in the light of the model earth composition and Al₂O₃/TiO₂, CaO/TiO₂ ratios. It is suggested that for primitive basalts, these values can be used to predict the residual phases in their source. Comparison of chemical characteristics of inferred sources for 2.7-b.y. Archaean basalts and modern “normal” MORB indicates that the MORB source is severely depleted in highly incompatible elements such as Cs, Ba, Rb, U, Th, K, La and Nb, but has comparable abundances of less incompatible elements such as Ti, Zr, Y, Yb. The cause of the depletion in the MORB source is examined in terms of crust formation and extraction of silica-undersaturated melts. The latter seems to be a more likely explanation, since the degree of enrichment of highly incompatible elements in the crust only accounts for up to 40% of their abundances in the bulk earth and cannot match the depletion pattern in normal MORB. A large volume of material, less depleted than the source for normal MORB must therefore exist in the mantle and can serve as the source for the ocean island basalts and “normal” MORB.Three different mantle evolution models are examined and each suggests that the mantle is stratified with respect to abundances of incompatible trace elements. We suggest that no satisfactory model is available to fully explain the spectrum of geochemical and geophysical data. In particular the Pb and Sr isotope data on oceanic basalts, the depletion patterns of MORB and the balance between lithophile abundances in the crust and mantle, are important geochemical constraints to mantle models. Further modelling of the mantle evolution will be dependent on firmer information on the role of subduction, mantle convection pattern, and basalt production through geologic time together with a better understanding of the nature of Archaean crustal genesis.     

Evaluation of crystallization temperatures of mineral paragenesis in consolidated crust and uppermost mantle from explosion seismology data

In terms of the general endogeneous evolution of the lithosphere, the continental crystalline crust and the uppermost mantle, formed by regional metamorphic and magmatic processes, show mineral paragenesis stratification, expressed by a regular mineral sequence. The continuous macrolayering of mineral paragenesis through lithospheric depth profile is caused by phase transformations and variations in composition of complex natural systems, and affects the vertical distribution of seismic velocities,V _p,V _s, and other physical parameters.To evaluate palaeotemperatures (crystallization temperatures of mineral paragenesis), consistentV _pandV _s (Z) velocity models for the consolidated crust of two regionally separated areas of different geological structures — Precambrian shield (Voronezh Massif) and a young fold-mountain structure in the central part of the Transasian orogeneous belt (Himalaya) — are used as starting data.The velocity models are recalculated into (Z) and (Z) profiles (Z) being the seismic parameter. (Z) the Debye temperature). These, according to Debye theory, allow the determination of variations in entropy, thermodynamic and temperature gradients at the time of crustal generation.For the two regions chosen, palaeotemperature distributions are eventually calculated for the depth intervals given by velocity profiles. Crystallization temperatures calculated from seismic data show good agrrement with the values obtained from mineralogical thermobarometry.     

Dunitification of mantle lithosphere below the society archipelago: Evidence for magma-mantle thermal and chemical transfers through xenoliths from the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti

Chemical and thermal transfers between mantle lithosphere and O.I.B. from French Polynesia are described in an inclusion suite from the Papenoo Valley, Tahiti. The methods used consider chemical exchange kinetics in geothermometry and olivine deformation study. The mineralogical study shows the extent of the chemical and thermal exchanges between a lithosphere equilibrated at 1000–1050°C and plume basalts whose liquidus temperature is about 1250°C. The dunitification process along with the spinel and olivine “fertilization” is revealed in samples which preserved features of their former mantle deformation. The deformation study also shows that interaction took place within the mantle itself. The whole of the results implies a significant metasomatism of the mantle lithosphere and alteration of the initial geochemical signature of the deep originating O.I.B. beneath French Polynesia.     

On Poisson's ratio and composition of the Earth's lower mantle

Poisson's ratio of the lower mantle, calculated from recently published values of seismic wave velocities and extrapolated to atmospheric pressure and room temperature is found to be in the range 0.23 ⩽ ν ⩽ 0.25. These values are compared with the values of Poisson's ratio calculated for binary mixtures of MgSiO₃ perovskite and magnesiowüstite with various iron contents. Current values of the experimental error on measured elastic moduli give little hope to be able to discriminate between pyrolite and chondritic lower mantles: both are acceptable if the shear modulus of perovskite is in the upper range of Liebermann et al. estimates. A similar calculation using the seismic parameter φ confirms the results obtained by considering Poisson's ratio and further constrains the value of the shear modulus of perovskite to lie between 1600 and 1700 kilobars for current mantle models to remain plausible. Chemical stratification of the mantle is, therefore, possible but not required by seismological data.     

基于电性结构模型的青藏高原东缘上地幔热结构研究

研究青藏高原东缘地区的深部物质结构对于理解青藏高原的隆升及扩张机制具有重要的科学意义.本文将青藏高原东缘实测大地电磁测深剖面反演所得的岩石圈电性结构模型与高温高压岩石物理实验测得的上地幔矿物和熔融体导电性定量关系相结合,通过Hashin-Shtrikman（HS）边界条件建立上地幔电导率与温度、熔融百分比等参数的定量关系,在此基础上计算得到了青藏高原东缘上地幔热结构及熔融百分比分布模型.研究结果表明在青藏高原东缘地区通过大地电磁测深方法所探测到的上地幔低阻体可以解释为由高温作用所产生的局部熔融区域.其中,松潘—甘孜地块上地幔高导体对应的温度介于1300~1500℃之间,熔融百分比可高达10%,支持前人将松潘—甘孜地块内部的低阻体解释为局部熔融的观点.龙门山断裂带以东、四川盆地西缘的上地幔高导体温度介于1200~1400℃之间,熔融百分比介于1%~5%左右,表明扬子克拉通的西缘可能正在经历一定程度的活化作用.龙门山断裂带下方的上地幔高阻体温度介于1100℃附近,基本没有发生局部熔融,具有较冷的刚性块体特征,与该区域频发的地震活动相吻合.四川盆地东部的扬子上地幔温度介于800~900℃之间,没有发生局部熔融,符合古老稳定的克拉通块体的基本特征.

     

The effect of mantle composition on density in the extending lithosphere

The density distribution of the lithosphere is non-linear and discontinuous due to complex mineralogy and, most importantly, phase transitions. We evaluate the influence of changes in mantle composition on lithospheric density and its evolution during horizontal stretching, using thermodynamic calculations of the density as a function of pressure, temperature and composition. We also develop a simple parameterization based on end-member mineral reactions and geometric relationships between the geotherm and the phase boundary for comparison. The garnet–spinel peridotite transition leads to a moderate decrease in density of the mantle part of the lithospheric column at the initial stages of stretching. When the crust is sufficiently thinned and temperature is relatively high, plagioclase peridotite becomes stable in the upper part of the mantle. The density reduction due to the plagioclase-in reaction is controlled by bulk Al₂O₃ in the mantle and by the depth of the plagioclase-in reaction, which is mainly governed by the Na₂O/Al₂O₃ ratio. Since Na₂O and Al₂O₃ increase with the fertility of the mantle the phase transition effect is most pronounced for relatively fertile mantle (and strong extension) and can lead to 2.3% density reduction. This is equivalent to heating the entire lithosphere by 700 °C if only the effect of thermal expansion on density is taken into account. The formation of plagioclase peridotite can explain syn-rift uplift in sedimentary basins that experienced large mantle stretching without invoking an unrealistically strong increase in temperature. It might also be responsible for the break-up unconformity observed at continental margins.