Melting in the martian mantle: Shergottite formation and implications for present‐day mantle convection on Mars

Abstract— Radiometric age dating of the shergottite meteorites and cratering studies of lava flows in Tharsis and Elysium both demonstrate that volcanic activity has occurred on Mars in the geologically recent past. This implies that adiabatic decompression melting and upwelling convective flow in the mantle remains important on Mars at present. I present a series of numerical simulations of mantle convection and magma generation on Mars. These models test the effects of the total radioactive heating budget and of the partitioning of radioactivity between crust and mantle on the production of magma. In these models, melting is restricted to the heads of hot mantle plumes that rise from the core‐mantle boundary, consistent with the spatially localized distribution of recent volcanism on Mars. For magma production to occur on present‐day Mars, the minimum average radioactive heating rate in the martian mantle is 1.6 times 10^?12 W/kg, which corresponds to 39% of the Wanke and Dreibus (1994) radioactivity abundance. If the mantle heating rate is lower than this, the mean mantle temperature is low, and the mantle plumes experience large amounts of cooling as they rise from the base of the mantle to the surface and are, thus, unable to melt. Models with mantle radioactive heating rates of 1.8 to 2.1 times 10 ^?12 W/kg can satisfy both the present‐day volcanic resurfacing rate on Mars and the typical melt fraction observed in the shergottites. This corresponds to 43–50% of the Wanke and Dreibus radioactivity remaining in the mantle, which is geochemically reasonable for a 50 km thick crust formed by about 10% partial melting. Plausible changes to either the assumed solidus temperature or to the assumed core‐mantle boundary temperature would require a larger amount of mantle radioactivity to permit present‐day magmatism. These heating rates are slightly higher than inferred for the nakhlite source region and significantly higher than inferred from depleted shergottites such as QUE 94201. The geophysical estimate of mantle radioactivity inferred here is a global average value, while values inferred from the martian meteorites are for particular points in the martian mantle. Evidently, the martian mantle has several isotopically distinct compositions, possibly including a radioactively enriched source that has not yet been sampled by the martian meteorites. The minimum mantle heating rate corresponds to a minimum thermal Rayleigh number of 2 times 10⁶, implying that mantle convection remains moderately vigorous on present‐day Mars. The basic convective pattern on Mars appears to have been stable for most of martian history, which has prevented the mantle flow from destroying the isotopic heterogeneity.     

Mapping sediment acoustic impedance using remote sensing acoustic techniques in a shallow-water carbonate environment

 Real-time trackline plots of surficial sediment acoustic impedance delineate several sedimentary facies off Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas. The sea floor within a 6×6 km surveyed area consists of carbonate muds (silts), sands and shell, rock, and live corals. The 4-kHz acoustic data supports this finding by providing a pictographic representation of the distribution and structure of several sediment facies types. Plotting the gridded acoustic data with commercial mapping software (Surfer) provides a three-dimensional (3D) perspective of the bottom topography with a color contour map of surficial sediment impedance (upper 0.4 m) draped over the 3D surface.     

Detection of the water-soluble fraction of crude oil by the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus

The ability of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, to detect petroleum hydrocarbons was measured with behavioural techniques. When presented with a water-soluble fraction of Prudhoe Bay crude oil, blue crabs abruptly changed antennular orientation, began rhythmic beating of the maxillipedal flagellae, and increased antennular flicking rate. The threshold concentration at which 50% of the crabs detected the water-soluble fraction was 2 × 10^?6 mg/litre. The blue crab apparently can readily detect petroleum hydrocarbons at concentrations found in chronically polluted areas as well as oil spill situations.     

Potential and inductive electric fields in the magnetosphere during auroras

During quiescent auroras the large-scale electric field is essentially irrotational. The volume formed by the plasma sheet and its extension into the auroral oval is connected to an external source by electric currents, which enter and leave the volume at different electric potentials and which supply sufficient energy to support the auroral activity. The location of the actual acceleration of particles depends on the internal distribution of electric fields and currents. One important feature is the energization of the carriers of the cross-tail current and another is the acceleration of electrons precipitated through relatively low-altitude magnetic-field-aligned potential drops.Substorm auroras depend on rapid and (especially initially) localized release of energy that can only be supplied by tapping stored magnetic energy. The energy is transmitted to the charged particle via electric inductive fields.The primary electric field due to changing electric currents is redistributed in a complicated way—but never extinguished—by polarization of charges. As a consequence, any tendency of the plasma to suppress magnetic-field-aligned components of the electric fields leads to a corresponding enhancement of the transverse component.     

Development of site-specific design ground motions in Western and Eastern North America

This paper presents results recently obtained for generating site-specific ground motions needed for design of critical facilities. The general approach followed in developing these ground motions using either deterministic or probabilistic criteria is specification of motions for rock outcrop or very firm soil conditions followed by adjustments for site-specific conditions. Central issues in this process include development of appropriate attenuation relations and their uncertainties, differences in expected motions between Western and Eastern North America, and incorporation of site-specific adjustments that maintain the same hazard level as the control motions, while incorporating uncertainties in local dynamic material properties. For tectonically active regions, such as the Western United States (WUS), sufficient strong motion data exist to constrain empirical attenuation relations for M up to about 7 and for distances greater than about 10–15 km. Motions for larger magnitudes and closer distances are largely driven by extrapolations of empirical relations and uncertainties need to be substantially increased for these cases.

For the Eastern United States (CEUS), due to the paucity of strong motion data for cratonic regions worldwide, estimation of strong ground motions for engineering design is based entirely on calibrated models. The models are usually calibrated and validated in the WUS where sufficient strong motion data are available and then recalibrated for applications to the CEUS. Recalibration generally entails revising parameters based on available CEUS ground motion data as well as indirect inferences through intensity observations. Known differences in model parameters such as crustal structure between WUS and CEUS are generally accommodated as well. These procedures are examined and discussed.     

Observations of borehole-source amplitude reduction due to casing

Theoretical results show that the amplitude of a borehole source is reduced when the well in which it is operated is cased and cemented. This reduction is a strong function of the formation velocity and is more weakly dependent on the direction of propagation of the wave travelling from source to receiver and on the diameter of the borehole itself. We have tested these predictions with data gathered in a cross-hole seismic experiment conducted in two stages in 1990 and 1991. The source and receivers were located in the MIT/Stech 1-21A and MIT/Burch 1-20B wells at the Earth Resources Laboratory (ERL) test site in Michigan (USA). Though the source well (MIT/Stech 1-21A) was uncased in 1990, a steel casing and cement were added prior to the collection of data in 1991. Several receiver positions were reoccupied to compare data collected with the source in open and cased holes. Using a velocity model for this area and borehole diameter measurements from a calliper log, a compensation factor can be computed that will adjust the data collected in 1991 to have amplitudes comparable to that collected in the first stage of the experiment. The accuracy of the results demonstrates the validity of the theory, which can be very useful in better understanding seismic waveforms recorded in cross-hole experiments.     

The use of GPR and VES in delineating a contamination plume in a landfill site: a case study in SE Brazil

This paper presents the results of the application of the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) method, or Georadar, in outlining a zone of contamination due to solid residues at the waste burial site of Rio Claro in the state of São Paulo, SE Brazil. A total of eight GPR profiles with 50- and 100-MHz antennae were surveyed. Six profiles were located within the landfill site and the remaining two were outside. The main objective of the GPR survey was to evaluate the side extension of contamination. A Vertical Electric Sounding (VES) survey was performed at four points within the site in order to investigate the vertical extent of the contamination plume and to define the bottom of the landfill. Two additional VESs were done outside the landfill with the purpose of determining the top of the ground water table and the geoelectric stratigraphy of the background. From the interpretation of the GPR profiles, it was possible to locate the top of the contamination plume and to infer that it was migrating laterally beyond the limits of the waste disposal site. This was observed along the profile situated close to the highway SP-127, which was about 20 m from the limit of the site. The signature of the contaminant appears as a discontinuous reflector that is believed to be a shallow ground water table. The discontinuity is marked by a shadow zone, which is characteristic of conductive contaminant residues. The contamination did not move far enough to reach a sugar cane plantation located at approximately 100 m from the border of the site. In the regions free from contamination, the ground water table was mapped at approximately 10 m of depth, and it was characterized by a strong and continuous reflector. The radar signal penetrated deep enough and enabled the identification of a second reflector at approximately 14 m deep, interpreted as the contact between the Rio Claro and the Corumbataí formations. The contact is marked by the presence of gravel characterized by ferruginous concretes, which cause the strong amplitude reflection in the GPR profile. Within the landfill site, the quantitative interpretation of the VES results showed the contamination zone. The base of the landfill varies between 11 and 15 m deep. Outside the landfill site, the VES results showed no indication of contamination and allowed the determination of the top of the ground water table and the contact between the Rio Claro and the Corumbataí formations. The results of GPR and VES showed a good agreement and the integrated interpretations were supported by local geology and information from several boreholes, about 17 m depth, on average. The bottom of the landfill reaches a maximum of 14.5 m depth.