Electromagnetic studies of global geodynamic processes

The deep electromagnetic sounding (DES) technique is one of the few geophysical methods, along with seismology, gravity, heat flow, which may be use to probe the structure of the Earth's mantle directly. The interpretation of the DESs may provide electrical conductivity profiles down to the upper part of the lower mantle. The electrical conductivity is extremely sensitive to most of the thermodynamic processes we believe are acting in the Earth's mantle (temperature increases, partial melting, phase transition and to a lesser extent pressure). Therefore, in principle, results from DES along with laboratory measurements could be used to constrain models of these processes.The DES technique is reviewed in the light of recent results obtained in a variety of domains: data acquisition and analysis, global induction modeling and data inversion and interpretation.The mechanisms and the importance of surface distortions of the DES data are reviewed and techniques to model them are discussed. The recent results in terms of the conductivity distribution in the mantle from local and global DES are presented and a tentative synthesis is proposed.The geodynamic interpretations of the deep conductivity structures are reviewed. The existence of mantle lateral heterogeneities in conductivity at all scales and depths for which electromagnetic data are available is now well documented. A comparison with global results from seismology is presented.     

Electromagnetic evidence for lateral inhomogeneities within the Earth's upper mantle

The composition of the upper mantle is of great significance to our understanding of plate tectonics and global evolution. Information about the physical properties of the Earth at upper mantle depths, including lateral variations in electrical conductivity, can be deduced from measurements of the electric and magnetic fields at the Earth's surface. Electromagnetic methods appear to give poorer resolution than do some other methods, for example seismics, but as they are sensitive to quite different properties of a medium they provide a different and complementary class of information.The basic theory of electromagnetic sounding methods is briefly reviewed below, and evidence regarding lateral conductivity inhomogeneities in the Earth's upper mantle is examined. While lateral electrical conductivity inhomogeneities appear to be the rule rather than the exception, the interpretation of electromagnetic data still presents difficulties and the results from many regions are not as yet unambiguous. Where the data are of sufficient resolution, a rapid increase in electrical conductivity can usually be identified within the upper mantle. The depth to this highly conductive zone is different in different tectonic environments, but is broadly consistent between analogous but widely separated tectonic environments. A comparatively shallow conducting region is found beneath the ocean lithosphere. The depth of this region is dependent on lithospheric age. Many of the more shallow conducting regions in both continental and oceanic environments are associated with high heat flow values and seismic low velocity zones. These highly conducting regions may be zones of partial melt.     

碳酸盐化橄榄岩的电性研究

为进一步探讨上地幔的高导层成因,了解碳酸盐在上地幔电性方面的作用并估算上地幔高导层的碳酸盐含量,本文对不同碳酸盐含量的橄榄岩及玄武岩样品在2~3 GPa、300~1300℃的条件下进行了电性实验研究.研究初步发现:碳酸盐熔体显著增强橄榄岩、玄武岩样品的导电能力;单纯用含硅酸盐熔体的橄榄岩或单纯用含水橄榄岩可能难以解释上地幔某些区域的异常高导现象;同样,单纯用碳酸盐化的橄榄岩可能也难以解释上地幔某些区域的高导现象;上地幔的高导区很可能是碳酸盐熔体、硅酸盐熔体及水的共存区域.     

Water distribution across the mantle transition zone and its implications for global material circulation

Various methods for inferring the water distribution in Earth's mantle are reviewed including geochemical and geophysical methods. The geochemical approach using the water contents of basalts shows that the water content in the source regions of ocean island basalt is generally larger than that of the source region of mid-ocean ridge basalt, but the location of the source regions of ocean island basalts is poorly constrained. Geophysical approaches have potential of providing constraints on the spatial distribution of water but their usefulness depends critically on the sensitivity of geophysical observations to water content relative to other factors, in addition to the resolution of geophysical observations. Existing experimental data on the influence of water on seismologically observable properties and on electrical conductivity are reviewed. Frequently used seismological observations such as the anomalies in seismic wave velocities and of the topography on the mantle discontinuities are only weakly sensitive to water content but more sensitive to other factors such as the major element chemistry and temperature for a typical range of water contents. In contrast, electrical conductivity is highly sensitive to water content and only modestly sensitive to other factors such as temperature, oxygen fugacity and major element chemistry. Models of electrical conductivity–depth profiles are constructed where the influence of hydrogen and iron partitioning among coexisting minerals and of the depth variation in oxygen fugacity are incorporated. It is shown (i) that the electrical conductivity varies more than two orders of magnitude for a plausible range of water content in the mantle (~ 10 ppm wt to ~ 1 wt.%) and (ii) that if water content is constant with depth, there will be a drop in electrical conductivity at ~ 410-km. Although the resolution is not as high as seismological observations, geophysically inferred electrical conductivity distributions generally show higher conductivity in the mantle transition zone than the upper mantle, suggesting that the water content in the transition zone is higher than that in the upper mantle with some lateral variations. Implications of inferred water distribution are discussed including the possible partial melting near 410-km and its role in global water circulation.     

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.     

Upper-mantle conductivity determined by the geomagnetic lunar daily variation

The geomagnetic lunar daily variation, and the solar daily variation, have been recently analysed by Malin. The response measurements that he obtained are used here to investigate the radial distribution of electrical conductivity in the upper mantle. It is found that these observed response measurements require low conductivity in the mantle, at least as far down as 650 km from the surface. This result is compatible with the conductivity models determined by the quiet-day daily variation, and so justifies the use of these variation fields for geomagnetic deep sounding.     

Temperature profiles in the earth of importance to deep electrical conductivity models

Deep in the Earth, the electrical conductivity of geological material is extremely dependent on temperature. The knowledge of temperature is thus essential for any interpretation of magnetotelluric data in projecting lithospheric structural models. The measured values of the terrestrial heat flow, radiogenic heat production and thermal conductivity of rocks allow the extrapolation of surface observations to a greater depth and the calculation of the temperature field within the lithosphere. Various methods of deep temperature calculations are presented and discussed. Characteristic geotherms are proposed for major tectonic provinces of Europe and it is shown that the existing temperatures on the crust-upper mantle boundary may vary in a broad interval of 350–1,000°C. The present work is completed with a survey of the temperature dependence of electrical conductivity for selected crustal and upper mantle rocks within the interval 200–1,000°C. It is shown how the knowledge of the temperature field can be used in the evaluation of the deep electrical conductivity pattern by converting the conductivity-versustemperature data into the conductivity-versus-depth data.     

Analyzing electromagnetic induction data: Suggestions from laboratory measurements

Recent inversions of electrical profiles of the upper mantle beneath the oceans permit a variety of conductivity-depth profiles ranging from models with monotonically increasing conductivity to layered models having decreases of conductivity with depth. Laboratory data on possible mantle materials can physically explain high mantle conductivities in terms of a fluid phase (partial melt, hydrous fluid) or a good solid conductor (amorphous or graphitic carbon) and favor a profile having a high conductivity layer (HCL) underlain by a more resistive layer.     

北京-柏各庄剖面连续介质大地电磁反演解释

在华北地区大地电磁测深工作的基础上,本文对北京——柏各庄剖面上的大地电磁观测资料,使用连续介质反演方法进行反演解释,获得了电性结构的最新结果。对构制的可接受地电模型的评价表明,本剖面内地壳中部普遍存在高导电带,上地幔内高导电带的深度变化较大,电阻率为1m的等值线深度,在沧县隆起为70多km,其西侧和东侧分别在60km和50km左右。上地幔高导电带的电阻率值由西而东有减小的趋势。这些结果与表层构造的对应关系说明,上地幔软流圈及地热场的横向不均一性,对地壳内部发生的构造运动有重要意义。      

华北、西北一些地区地壳和上地幔内高导层

本文根据大地电磁测深方法的探测,发现地壳和上地幔内存在几—几十欧姆·米的低阻层(高导层)事实,探讨高导层的分布特点与大地构造特征,高导层与其它地球物理场,高导层的成因机制及其与大陆浅源地震之间的关系     

Partial melt in the asthenosphere: Evidence from electrical conductivity data

Modelled conductivity variations with depth in the upper mantle obtained from geomagnetic induction and magnetotelluric results are compared to predicted conductivity variations obtained from laboratory measurements on dry material assumed to occur in the mantle. Higher than predicted conductivities at the base of the oceanic lithosphere suggest the presence of highly conductive partial melt. Using a known relationship between observed conductivity and the conductivity and volume fraction of the fluid, estimates of the melt volume fraction have been made assuming the melt to be in continuously connected network. In the sub-oceanic asthenosphere these values range from approximately 0.45 to 9%, whereas in sub-continental asthenosphere the partial melt volume fraction appears to be too low to increase the bulk conductivity. The partial melt content of the sub-continental asthenosphere may reach a few percent if the melt exists in isolated pockets. The apparent difference in melt content in sub-oceanic and sub-continental asthenosphere is discussed in terms of the different velocities of Pacific-type plates (which carry no continental block) and Atlantic-type plates (which carry a continental block).     

内蒙、甘、宁某些地区地球上部电导率分布的横向变化特征

这篇文章给出了内蒙、甘肃、宁夏某些地区的大地电磁测深结果。这些结果显示出,在地震带内地壳和上地幔电导率分布的横向变化是很明显的,而在比较稳定的鄂尔多斯地台内电导卑分布的横向变化较小,地壳和上地幔的电导率结构比较简单。基于这些结果发现,上部地壳(10—15公里)低阻层在大震震中区较为发育,这可能与大震有关。我国西北地区已有的大地电磁测深结果显示出,莫霍面並不是一个清楚的电性分界面,而某些地区的地壳中部低阻层似乎与康拉界面相应,这就使得后者成为一个明显的电性分界面。     

Making sound inferences from geomagnetic sounding

We examine the nonlinear inverse problem of electromagnetic induction to recover electrical conductivity. As this is an ill-posed problem based on inaccurate data, there is a critical need to find the reliable features of the models of electrical conductivity. We present a method for obtaining bounds on Earth’s average conductivity that all conductivity profiles must obey. Our method is based completely on optimization theory for an all-at-once approach to inverting frequency-domain electromagnetic data. The forward modeling equations are constraints in an optimization problem solving for the electric fields and the conductivity simultaneously. There is no regularization required to solve the problem. The computational framework easily allows additional inequality constraints to be imposed, allowing us to further narrow the bounds. We draw conclusions from a global geomagnetic depth sounding data set and compare with laboratory results, inferring temperature and water content through published Boltzmann-Arrhenius conductivity models. If the upper mantle is assumed to be volatile free we find it has an average temperature of 1409-1539 ° C. For the top 1000 km of the lower mantle, we find an average temperature of 1849-2008 ° C. These are in agreement with generally accepted mantle temperatures. Our conclusions about water content of the transition zone disagree with previous research. With our bounds on conductivity, we calculate a transition zone consisting entirely of Wadsleyite has <0.27  wt.% water and as we add in a fraction of Ringwoodite, the upper bound on water content decreases proportionally. This water content is less than the 0.4 wt.% water required for melt or pooling at the 410 km seismic discontinuity.     

高温高压下上地幔岩石电导率实验研究

为了建立具有普遍适用性的上地幔电性结构,本文利用Kawai-1000t压机和Solartron IS-1260阻抗/增益-相位分析仪,在4.0~14.0 GPa、873~1673 K的条件下,采用交流阻抗谱法（频率范围10^-1~10⁶Hz）测量了不含水的地幔岩电导率.实验结果显示,岩石的电导率随温度升高而大幅度的增大;在较大的温度范围内岩石的导电机制发生了变化,中低温时为小极化子导电,此时激活焓为0.94 eV （±0.13） eV,激活体积为0.11（±0.92） cm³·mol^-1,高温时为和镁空穴相关的离子导电,此时激活焓为1.6~3.17 eV,激活体积为6.75（±7.43） cm³·mol^-1;本次测量的电导率比低压下岩石的电导率要高,比矿物的电导率也要高.用本次的实验结果回归计算得到Fennoscandian地区的上地幔的一维电导率剖面,发现200 km以上本次实验计算的结果和大地电磁测深的电导率剖面吻合的比较好,在200 km以下本次实验得到的要比野外测量的电导率稍稍高一点,可能是因为实验过程中没有完全避免水的影响.本次的实验结果比用有效均匀介质方法计算得到的pyrolite矿物模型的电导率要高出两个数量级,这样的结果显示只用一种矿物的电导率或是几种矿物理论计算的结果有一定的不合理性.     

全球地磁感应测深数据三维反演

全球地磁感应测深能获得地幔转换带及下地幔上部的导电结构.但目前稀疏的地磁台站分布及部分台站的观测数据稳定性较差,影响了三维反演对地下电性结构的分辨力和反演可靠性.为此,区别于传统的L2-范数反演方法,本文提出并实现了基于L1-范数的地磁测深响应三维反演技术.在反演中,利用L1-范数度量数据预测误差,降低"飞点"数据的影响,将相关系数较小的C-响应估计也纳入反演数据中.三维正演模拟采用球坐标系下的交错网格有限差分法,反演采用有限内存拟牛顿法.文中利用指数概率密度分布函数构造非高斯噪声的合成数据,并采用棋盘模型对反演方法的可靠性进行了验证.之后,我们将本文提出的三维反演方法用于全球129个地磁观测台站的C-响应数据反演,结果表明在地幔转换带深部,中国东北地区为高导电异常,南欧和北非则均为高阻;夏威夷在900km以下为高导;菲律宾海及以东地区在转换带表现为明显的高阻,这些结果与前人研究结果一致.由于采用了更多的台站数据,我们的反演结果还发现一些新的异常:南美洲南端,转换带表现为明显的高导;澳大利亚东南部,地幔转换带深部,也存在一个明显的高导异常,这些异常分布和地震层析成像的低速区一致.因此,L1-范数三维反演能够充分利用全球C-响应数据信息,提高地磁测深对地球深部电性结构的分辨能力,更好的研究全球地幔电性结构.     

Experimental studies of electrical conductivities and P-wave velocities of gabbro at high pressures and high temperatures

The studies on the physical properties of minerals and rocks in combination with the work in petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry are not only a useful mean to look into the composition and structure of the earth抯 interior, but also can provide extreme…     

青藏高原东南缘地质构造基本形态与地震各向异性基本特征

青藏高原东南缘受印度板块NE向推挤和高原物质SE向挤出及四川盆地、华南块体阻挡的共同作用,成为高原物质SE向逃逸的关键通道.本文综述了青藏高原东南缘由不同震相和不同方法得到的不同深度的地震各向异性结果,结合区域内断裂分布、地表运动、构造应力以及深部结构等方面,全面分析了青藏高原东南缘上地壳至中下地壳及上地幔的介质各向异...     

Relations of electrical conductivity to physical conditions within the asthenosphere

This paper examines the constraint placed by electrical conductivity on physical conditions existing within the mantle. Determination of bulk electrical conductivities of multiphase materials from knowledge of individual phase conductivities and their relative fractions is discussed in the light of recent studies of the equilibrium phase geometries of partial melts. It is concluded that existing models which are based on assumed geometries offer little refinement over Hashin-Shtrikman variational bounds. The possible effects of the gravitational field on phase geometry in partial melts and the resulting conductivity anisotropy are considered. At this time it appears that minimum melt fractions can be safely estimated from a knowledge of Earth conductivity combined with laboratory data on melt and crystalline conductivities and the Hashin-Shtrikman upper bound. The question of whether or not the asthenosphere corresponds to a zone of partial melting is also addressed.     

On Earth’s Mantle Constitution and Structure from Joint Analysis of Geophysical and Laboratory-Based Data: An Example

Determining Earth’s structure is a fundamental goal of Earth science, and geophysical methods play a prominent role in investigating Earth’s interior. Geochemical, cosmochemical, and petrological analyses of terrestrial samples and meteoritic material provide equally important insights. Complementary information comes from high-pressure mineral physics and chemistry, i.e., use of sophisticated experimental techniques and numerical methods that are capable of attaining or simulating physical properties at very high pressures and temperatures, thereby allowing recovered samples from Earth’s crust and mantle to be analyzed in the laboratory or simulated computationally at the conditions that prevail in Earth’s mantle and core. This is particularly important given that the vast bulk of Earth’s interior is geochemically unsampled. This paper describes a quantitative approach that combines data and results from mineral physics, petrological analyses of mantle minerals, and geophysical inverse calculations, in order to map geophysical data directly for mantle composition (major element chemistry and water content) and thermal state. We illustrate the methodology by inverting a set of long-period electromagnetic response functions beneath six geomagnetic stations that cover a range of geological settings for major element chemistry, water content, and thermal state of the mantle. The results indicate that interior structure and constitution of the mantle can be well-retrieved given a specific set of measurements describing (1) the conductivity of mantle minerals, (2) the partitioning behavior of water between major upper mantle and transition-zone minerals, and (3) the ability of nominally anhydrous minerals to store water in their crystal structures. Specifically, upper mantle water contents determined here bracket the ranges obtained from analyses of natural samples, whereas transition-zone water concentration is an order-of-magnitude greater than that of the upper mantle and appears to vary laterally underneath the investigated locations.     

地幔矿物电导率研究进展

研究地幔矿物的电导率可以揭示地球内部电导率的分布规律以及地球介质的极化机制。通过对近年来国际上地幔矿物电导率的研究结果进行分析和总结,介绍了矿物的各种影响因素与电导率的关系;对含水和不含水的地幔矿物导电机制进行了区别,不含水矿物的导电机制主要为小极化子,含水矿物的导电机制为自由质子。比较了各种典型的地幔矿物电导率结果并对电导率模型进行了评述和总结,对电导率的研究方向进行了展望。认为水在地幔矿物电导率和电导率剖面中起着重要作用