Hydrodynamic response of subduction zones to seismic activity: A case study for the Costa Rica margin

Thermal anomalies in tectonically active areas are often attributed to sub-seafloor fluid circulation and faulting mechanisms, particularly in subduction zones where the largest thrust earthquakes occur. Postseismic fluid flow is enabled by the poroelastic response of the fault system to the earthquake's strain field, as well as by the rupturing of permeability barriers in the vicinity of the fault zone. We investigated the relative importance of these mechanisms on postseismic pore-pressure diffusion and advective heat transport in the subduction zone setting. A two-dimensional numerical fluid flow and heat transport model was developed for the Costa Rica subduction zone offshore of the Nicoya Peninsula. The flow and transport model was coupled with an earthquake strain model to quantify the effects of coseismic strain and permeability enhancement on fluid pressures and temperatures within the Costa Rica margin. Coseismic changes in pore pressure and postseismic pore-pressure diffusion were found to be sensitive to the compressibility of the porous medium, and patterns of pore-pressure recovery were more complex than that predicted by theoretical faulting models. Coseismic contraction and extension of the crust produced high fluid pressures close to the fault, while the inflow of fluid from depth increased fluid pressures several years following the simulated fault slip. Crustal deformation alone was not observed to perturb the temperature field. Laterally extensive permeability increases of two orders of magnitude along the décollement were required to produce small changes in heat flow. Local permeability changes in the upper slope region of least five orders of magnitude were necessary to noticeably affect heat flow. The results of the numerical simulations may help to refine conceptual faulting models and provide guidance for locating long-term hydrologic monitoring sites at Costa Rica and other subduction zones.     

Geodynamic evolution of southern Costa Rica related to low-angle subduction of the Cocos Ridge: constraints from thermochronology

The Late Tertiary shallow subduction of the Cocos ridge under the Caribbean plate controlled the evolution of the Cordillera de Talamanca in southeast Costa Rica, which is a mountain range that consists mainly of granitoids formed in a volcanic arc setting. Fission track thermochronology using zircon and apatite, as well as ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr age data of amphibole and biotite in granitoid rocks constrain the thermal history of the Cordillera de Talamanca and the age of onset of subduction of the Cocos ridge. Shallow intrusion of granitoid melts resulted in fast and isobaric cooling. A weighted mean zircon fission track age (13 analyses) and Rb–Sr biotite ages of about 10 Ma suggest rapid cooling and give minimum ages for granitoid emplacement. In some cases ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr apparent ages of amphibole and biotite are younger than the zircon fission track ages, which can be attributed to partial resetting by hydrothermal alteration. Apatite fission track ages range from 4.8 to 1.7 Ma but show no correlation with the 3090-m elevation span over which they were sampled. The apatite ages seem to indicate rapid exhumation caused by tectonic and isostatic processes. The combination of the apatite fission track ages with subduction parameters of the Cocos plate such as subduction angle, plate convergence rate and distance of the Cordillera de Talamanca to the trench implies that the Cocos ridge entered the Middle America Trench between 5.5 and 3.5 Ma.     

A study of the chemistry of pore fluids and authigenic carbonates in methane seep environments: Kodiak Trench, Hydrate Ridge, Monterey Bay, and Eel River Basin

Analyses of the chemical and isotopic composition of carbonates rocks recovered from methane seepage areas of the Kodiak Trench, Hydrate Ridge, Monterey Bay Clam Flats, and the Eel River Basin, coupled with the studies of the chemistry of the pore fluids, have shown that these carbonates have grown within the sediment column. Geochemical profiles of pore fluids show that, in deep water seeps (Kodiak Trench—4450 m; Monterey Bay—1000 m; Hydrate Ridge—650 m), δ¹³C (DIC) values are low (isotopically light), whereas in the Eel River area ( 350–500 m), δ¹³C (DIC) values are much higher (isotopically heavier). In all cases, the δ¹³C values indicate that processes of methane oxidation, associated with sulfate reduction, are dominant in the shallow sediments. Data on the isotopic composition of authigenic carbonates found at sites in Kodiak Trench, Eel River Basin South, and Eel River Basin North indicate a variable composition and origin in different geochemical environments. Some of the authigenic carbonates from the study sites show a trend in their δ¹³C values similar to those of the pore fluids obtained in their vicinity, suggesting formation at relatively shallow depths, but others indicate formation at greater sediment depths. The latter usually consist of high magnesium calcite or dolomite, which, from their high values of δ¹³C (up to 23‰;) and δ¹⁸O (up to 7.5‰), suggest formation in the deeper horizons of the sediments, in the zone of methanogenesis. These observations are in agreement with observations by other workers at Hydrate Ridge, in Monterey Bay, and in the Eel River Basin.     

东昆仑南缘布青山构造混杂岩带早古生代白日切特中酸性岩浆活动:来自锆石U-Pb测年及岩石地球化学证据

在1∶50000地质填图基础上,运用剖面测制、岩石学、岩石地球化学及LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb法测年等方法,对东昆仑南缘布青山构造混杂岩带内的白日切特中酸性岩浆岩岩块进行详细研究。结果表明:白日切特剖面中酸性岩浆岩岩块主要由花岗闪长岩岩块和中酸性火山岩岩块组成,其中花岗闪长岩锆石206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为(441±6)Ma(MSWD=0.76),流纹斑岩锆石206Pb/238U加权平均年龄为(438±3)Ma(MSWD=2.0)。花岗闪长岩为高硅,富铝、钠,准铝质,钠质钙碱性系列;中酸性火山岩为硅饱和,铝质,钙碱性系列。二者稀土元素总量(∑REE)较低,LREE相对富集,HREE相对亏损,REE配分曲线呈LREE分馏明显,HREE分馏不明显右倾特征,花岗闪长岩基本上无铕异常,而中酸性火山岩具有弱的负铕异常,均与岛弧钙碱性系列的特征相似,与洋壳的俯冲消减作用有关,代表了在早志留世东原特提斯洋壳俯冲消减而形成的火山弧产物,为研究东特提斯洋演化进程提供了新证据。     

碳酸盐岩成岩相研究方法及其应用——以扬子地块北缘飞仙关组鲕滩储层为例

成岩相是研究成岩作用展布的重要方法和途径,其与沉积相不同,反映岩石在一定的成岩环境下发生的各种成岩作用的综合表现。在详细的成岩作用和成岩环境研究的基础上,划分了扬子地块北缘地区飞仙关组8类成岩相、7类成岩亚相,总结了各类成岩相(亚相)的识别标志,探索了成岩相与沉积相、测井相、地震相的关系,探索了成岩相在点、线、面上的分布,预测了有利成岩相区展布,取得了良好效果。形成了一套有效的成岩相研究方法,并将成岩相研究成果应用到勘探实践,具有较好的推广价值。