Plate Motion of India and Interseismic Strain in the Nepal Himalaya from GPS and DORIS Measurements

We analyse geodetically estimated deformation across the Nepal Himalaya in order to determine the geodetic rate of shortening between Southern Tibet and India, previously proposed to range from 12 to 21 mm yr^?1. The dataset includes spirit-levelling data along a road going from the Indian to the Tibetan border across Central Nepal, data from the DORIS station on Everest, which has been analysed since 1993, GPS campaign measurements from surveys carried on between 1995 and 2001, as well as data from continuous GPS stations along a transect at the logitude of Kathmandu operated continuously since 1997. The GPS data were processed in International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2000 (ITRF2000), together with the data from 20 International GNSS Service (IGS) stations and then combined using quasi- observation combination analysis (QOCA). Finally, spatially complementary velocities at stations in Southern Tibet, initially determined in ITRF97, were expressed in ITRF2000. After analysing previous studies by different authors, we determined the pole of rotation of the Indian tectonic plate to be located in ITRF2000 at 51.409±1.560° N and ?10.915±5.556°E, with an angular velocity of 0.483±0.015°. Myr^?1. Internal deformation of India is found to be small, corresponding to less than about 2 mm yr^?1 of baseline change between Southern India and the Himalayan piedmont. Based on an elastic dislocation model of interseismic strain and taking into account the uncertainty on India plate motion, the mean convergence rate across Central and Eastern Nepal is estimated to 19±2.5 mm yr^?1, (at the 67% confidence level). The main himalayan thrust (MHT) fault was found to be locked from the surface to a depth of about 20 km over a width of about 115 km. In these regions, the model parameters are well constrained, thanks to the long and continuous time-series from the permanent GPS as well as DORIS data. Further west, a convergence rate of 13.4±5 mm yr^?1, as well as a fault zone, locked over 150 km, are proposed. The slight discrepancy between the geologically estimated deformation rate of 21±1.5 mm yr^?1 and the 19±2.5 mm yr^?1 geodetic rate in Central and Eastern Nepal, as well as the lower geodetic rate in Western Nepal compared to Eastern Nepal, places bounds on possible temporal variations of the pattern and rate of strain in the period between large earthquakes in this region.     

Numerical simulation of divided-bar thermal conductivity measurements

Summary A three-dimensional numerical model of the divided-bar thermal conductivity measuring device that can include both solid and fluid sample portions has been developed. The model has been employed to investigate the effects of porosity in divided-bar measurements and the effects of the distribution of solid sample and contained fluids in porous material on the thermal conductivity calculated from the bar temperature measurements. The results show that the positions of the temperature sensors and thus the nature of the vertical column between the temperature measuring points is of prime importance, and that the sizes of the solid and fluid portions of the sample affect the sample conductivity estimates. The divided bar measures the thermal conductivity parallel to the axis of the bar. Thermal conductivity variations in the radial direction have little effect on the calculated conductivity. Whether or not the sides of the bar are insulated strongly affects the calculated conductivity.Presented at the International Meeting on Terrestrial Heat Flow and the Structure of Lithosphere, Bechyn Castle, Czech Republic, September 2 – 7, 1991.     

Le Léon : un domaine exotique au Nord-Ouest de la chaine varisque armoricaine (France)

Résumé

La synthèse des données structurales, pétrologiques, géochimiques et radiochronologiques permet d’avoir une vision nouvelle du Léon et de proposer un modèle d’évolution géodynamique dans cette région. Cette évolution, entièrement paléozoïque, débute par la mise en place de granitoïdes d’affinité calco-alcaline (orthogneiss de Brest), témoins probables d’une subduction ordovicienne corroborée par la présence de reliques d’un métamorphisme HP-HT (éclogites de Lesne-ven). Toutes les séries lithologiques seront ensuite soumises à une déformation tangentielle associée à un métamorphisme de type intermédiaire pouvant aller localement jusqu’à l’anatexie. Cet événement tec-tono-métamorphique correspond à une collision continentale dvonienne qui achève la période de convergence précédente. La suite de 1 évolution au cours du Carbonifère est intracontinentale. Elle est marquée par une succession d’événements plutono-tectoniques : mise en place vers 340 Ma de granitoîdes crustaux (St Renan-Kersaint) associés au cisaillement dextre nord-armoricain; mise en place vers 300 Ma d’ un ensemble granitique d’origine plus profonde (Aber - Mut) immédiatement suivi par des venues crustales (Ploudalmézeau-Kernil.s) associée au fonctionnement d’une nouvelle zone de cisaillement (zone senestre de Porspoder-Guisseny); mise en place enfin, vers 290 Ma, d’un dernier complexe granitique crustal (Brignogan-Plouescat) terminant avec les mierogranites du Bas-Léon l’évolution hercynienne de cette

La période antécarbonifère de l’évolution du Léon pose un problème lié à sa position géographique actuelle dans le prolongement du Domaine cadomien nord-armoricain peu affecté par les événements varisques. En réalité le Léon par sa structure et son histoire précoce (éohercynienne) possède plus d’affinités avec le Domaine sud-armoncain. L hypothèse d’une probable origine exotique du Léon est discutée.     

Anharmonicity and high-temperature heat capacity of crystals: the examples of Ca2GeO4, Mg2GeO4 and CaMgGeO4 olivines

Drop-calorimetry determinations of the isobaric heat capacity (C_P) of Mg₂GeO₄, Ca₂GeO₄ and CaMgGeO₄ have been made up to 1700 K. The thermal expansion coefficient (α) of these olivine germanates has been determined from high-temperature X-ray measurements up to 1500 K. From these measurements and available compressibility data, one calculates that the isochoric heat capacity (C_V) exceeds the harmonic limit of Dulong and Petit above 1000–1200 K. Such an intrinsic anharmonic behaviour can be accounted for by introducing anharmonic parameters a_i=(? ln v _i/?T)_V in vibrational modelling of C_V. These parameters are calculated from pressure and temperature shifts of the vibrational frequencies as measured by Raman spectroscopy up to 10 GPa at room temperature and up to 1300 K at 1 bar. A comparison of the Raman spectra of the three germanates with those of natural olivines justifies once again the use of germanates as silicate analogues. Extensive Ca,Mg disordering likely takes place in CaMgGeO₄, beginning at about 1100 K and leading to unusually high increases of the heat capacity and thermal expansion coefficient.     

Seismotectonics of the Papua New Guinea—Solomon Islands region

Earthquakes for the period 1964–1973 are relocated by the method of Joint Hypocenter Determination in order better to resolve the configuration and the structure of the New Guinea—New Britain—Solomon Islands region. Focal mechanism solutions are integrated with the seismicity and interpreted closely with it. A zone of subduction exists beneath New Britain and the Solomon Islands, a zone of left-lateral strike-slip movement extends from New Ireland to New Guinea. The zone of seismicity in northern New Guinea has developed as a result of a continent—island-arc collision in late Oligocene—Miocene times and does not exhibit a well-developed inclined seismic zone. It is proposed that plate tectonics theory does not apply rigorously, but slip-line field theory allows the presentation of a new geodynamic model for this region.     

Propriétés thermodynamiques des solutions (Na,K)ClH2O entre 400 et 800°C, 1–2 Kb: une revue des équilibres d'échange avec les silicates sodipotassiques

Several independant determinations of the difference in Gibbs free energy of formation (from the elements at 25°, 1 bar) between NaCl⁰ and KCl⁰ in aqueous solutions (molality > 0.5) are derived from equilibrium data between alkali feldspars, feldspathoids (nepheline-kalsilite), micas (muscoviteparagonite) and hydrothermal (Na, K)Cl-H₂O solutions. These results along with other data from the literature are discussed. The relation: $\text{Δ}{}^0\text{?,}\text{KCl}{}^0\text{? Δ}{}^0\text{/tf,}\text{NaCl}{}^0\text{(}\text{J}\text{) = ?16500(± 2500) ? 18(± 4) T(}\text{K}\text{)}$. is proposed from 400 to 800°C and 1 to 2 Kbar.     

Water and the density of silicate glasses

A review of published and newly measured densities for 40 hydrous silicate glasses indicates that the room-temperature partial molar volume of water is 12.0 ± 0.5 cm³/mol. This value holds for simple or mineral compositions as well as for complex natural glasses, from rhyolite to tephrite compositions, prepared up to 10–20 kbar pressures and containing up to 7 wt% H₂O. This volume does not vary either with the molar volume of the water-free silicate phase, with its degree of polymerization or with water speciation. Over a wide range of compositions, this constant value implies that the volume change for the reaction between hydroxyl ions and molecular water is zero and that, at least in glasses, speciation does not depend on pressure. Consistent with data from Ochs and Lange (1997, 1999), systematics in volume expansion for SiO₂–M₂O systems (M=H, Li, Na, K) suggests that the partial molar thermal expansion coefficient of H₂O is about 4 × 10⁻⁵ K⁻¹ in silicate glasses. Received: 30 June 1999 / Accepted: 5 November 1999     

Analytical Procedures for the Measurement of Boron Isotope Compositions by Ion Microprobe in Meteorites and Mantle Rocks

An analytical procedure has been developed to measure in situ the ¹¹ B/¹⁰ B ratio in terrestrial basaltic rocks and meteoritic chondrules having B concentration of less than 1 μg g^?1 using a small radius ims3f ion microprobe. The central difficulties for these measurements are (i) the removal of the trace amount of B contamination introduced in the sample during polishing, (ii) the precise calibration of instrumental mass fractionation of B isotopes and (iii) the low count rates of ¹⁰ B and ¹¹ B. Contamination experiments conducted with isotopically labelled B enriched in ¹⁰ B showed that ultrasonic cleaning in bi-distilled water (< 1 ng g^?1 B) and pre-sputtering of the analysed area decrease B contamination to the level of 0.01 μg g^?1. Analyses of isotope standards spanning a range of ¹¹ B/¹⁰ B between 3.93 and 4.20 showed that instrumental mass fractionation was constant within? during one session of analyses. Repeated analyses of a standard glass showed a reproducibility of instrumental mass fractionation between February 1991 and October 1996 of 1.3. Taking into account all sources of error, boron isotope measurements are accurate to within 5 for meteoritic samples having B contents in the range 0.1 to 1 μg g^?1. A slightly better accuracy of 1.5 can be achieved for basaltic glasses which can be sputtered with very intense primary beams.