Effect of the viscoelastic lithosphere on polar wander speed caused by the Late Pleistocene glacial cycles

Previous studies of the wander of the rotation pole associated with the Late Pleistocene glacial cycles indicate that the predicted polar wander speed is sensitive to the density jump at the 670 km discontinuity, the thickness of the elastic lithosphere, and the lower mantle viscosity. In particular, the M1 mode related to the density jump at 670 km depth has been shown to contribute a dominant portion of predicted polar wander speed for sufficiently small lower mantle viscosities. In this study, we examine the sensitivity of polar wander to variations in the viscosity of the viscoelastic lithosphere using simplified compressible Maxwell viscoelastic earth models. Model calculations for earth models with a viscoelastic lithosphere of finite viscosity indicate that the contribution of the M1 mode is similar to those associated with the density discontinuity at the core–mantle boundary (C0 mode) and the lithosphere (L0 mode). We speculate that this is due to the interaction between the M1 mode and the transient mode associated with the viscoelastic lithosphere, which reduces the magnitude of polar wander rates. Therefore, the M1 mode does not contribute a dominant portion of the predicted polar wander speed for earth models with a viscoelastic lithosphere of finite viscosity. In this case, predictions of polar wander speed as a function of lower mantle viscosity exhibit the qualitative form of an 'inverted parabola', as predicted for the J ˙₂ curve. We caution, however, that these results are obtained for simplified earth models, and the results for seismological earth models such as PREM may be complicated by the interaction between the M1 mode and the large set of transient modes.     

块系岩体间黏弹性性质对摆型波传播的影响

基于深部非连续自应力等级块系岩体构造理论,研究冲击载荷在块系岩体中以摆型波形式传播时岩块间黏弹性性质对摆型波传播的影响。当岩块间具有五种不同黏弹性性质时,通过对块系岩体的始端和末端区域中间岩块加速度响应计算及各岩块加速度正负摆幅幅值分析可知：岩块间黏性变化时,对岩块加速度衰减周期没有影响,但黏性增大时各岩块正负摆幅下降幅度比黏性周期增大时大;岩块间弹性变化时岩块加速度衰减周期均发生变化,但弹性减小时正负摆幅值向平衡位置平移,弹性周期减小时块系岩体的前半部分岩块正负摆幅曲线均出现波动且负摆波动较大,岩块间弹性梯级增大时,岩块加速度迅速衰减,同时各岩块加速度的正负摆幅曲线在初始端区域出现波动。     

Seismic Properties of Anita Bay Dunite: an Exploratory Study of the Influence of Water

As a pilot study of the role of water in the attenuation ofseismic waves in the Earth's upper mantle, we have performeda series of seismic-frequency torsional forced-oscillation experimentson a natural (Anita Bay) dunite containing accessory hydrousphases, at high temperatures to 1300°C and confining pressure(P_c) of 200 MPa, within a gas-medium high-pressure apparatus.Both oven-dried and pre-fired specimens wrapped in Ni–Fefoil within the (poorly) vented assembly were recovered essentiallydry after 50–100 h of annealing at 1300°C followedby slow staged cooling. The results for those specimens indicatebroadly similar absorption-band viscoelastic behaviour, butwith systematic differences in the frequency dependence of strain-energydissipation Q^–1, attributed to differences in the smallvolume fraction of silicate melt and its spatial distribution.In contrast, it has been demonstrated that a new assembly involvinga welded Pt capsule retains aqueous fluid during prolonged exposureto high temperatures—allowing the first high-temperaturetorsional forced-oscillation measurements under high aqueousfluid pore pressure P_f. At temperatures >1000°C, a markedreduction in shear modulus, without concomitant increase inQ^–1, is attributed to the widespread wetting of grainboundaries resulting from grain-scale hydrofracturing and themaintenance of conditions of low differential pressure P_d =P_c – P_f . Staged cooling from 1000°C is accompaniedby decreasing P_f and progressive restoration of significantlypositive differential pressure resulting in a microstructuralregime in which the fluid on grain boundaries is increasinglyrestricted to arrays of pores. The more pronounced viscoelasticbehaviour observed within this regime for the Pt-encapsulatedspecimen compared with the essentially dry specimens may reflectboth water-enhanced solid-state relaxation and the direct influenceof the fluid phase. The scenario of overpressurized fluids andhydrofracturing in the Pt-encapsulated dunite specimen may havesome relevance to the high Q^–1 and low-velocity zonesobserved in subduction-zone environments. The outcomes of thisexploratory study indicate that the presence of water can havea significant effect on the seismic wave attenuation in theupper mantle and provide the foundation for more detailed studieson the role of water. KEY WORDS: seismic wave attenuation; water; dunite; hydrous mineral; shear modulus; viscoelasticity; olivine; grain-scale hydrofracturing     

Surface deformation and gravity changes caused by dilatancy in a layered elastic-vis-coelastic half space

Ｓｕｒｆａｃｅｄｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｇｒａｖｉｔｙｃｈａｎｇｅｓｃａｕｓｅｄｂｙｄｉｌａｔａｎｃｙｉｎａｌａｙｅｒｅｄｅｌａｓｔｉｃ┐ｖｉｓ┐ｃｏｅｌａｓｔｉｃｈａｌｆｓｐａｃｅＹＯＮＧＷＡＮＧ（王勇）ＨＯＵＴＳＥＨＳＵ（许厚泽）Ｉｎｓｔｉｔ...     

Time domain analysis of generalized viscoelastic models

This paper examines the convolution integral method for the time domain analysis of viscoelastic models with complex parameters. Such models have been extensively used in soil dynamics and base isolation studies, because they can predict realistically the non-viscous behavior of practical materials such as soil, acrylic polymers, and silicone gels among others. Starting from the constant hysteretic model which was initially proposed to model the behavior of dry sands, it is shown that the basic response functions of complex-parameter viscoelastic models are complex valued functions. The classical relations between the basic response function and the dynamic modulus are extended for the case of these generalized viscoelastic models. Finally, the time domain response of practical constitutive models with complex parameters is investigated, and the limitations and advantages of the convolution integral method are discussed.     

俯冲带深部应力场的二维粘弹性有限元数值模拟

基于粘弹性平面应变有限元数值模拟方法,研究了俯冲带深部的应力场特征．当根据Karato等的研究结果给出俯冲板块的粘度结构时,橄榄石——尖晶石相变界面以下中心低粘区两侧出现应力集中区,而且其主压应力方向沿俯冲方向走向．其特征与已有的深源地震主压应力方向沿俯冲方向及深源地震有两个条带的地震观测结果相吻合．相变过渡区因矿物更小的颗粒粒度而导致的更小的等效粘度对俯冲带深部应力场的影响不大;存在和不存在亚稳态橄榄石楔的情况下,橄榄石——尖晶石相变过渡区附近都有最大剪应力的最大值出现,而其主压应力方向有垂直于橄榄石——尖晶石相变过渡区走向的趋势,尚与地震观测资料不符．