Structural Petrology of Plagioclase Peridotites in the West Othris Mountains (Greece): Melt Impregnation in Mantle Lithosphere

We present the results of a structural and petrological studyof mantle rocks from the strongly dismembered Othris Ophiolite.Part of the mantle section was impregnated with melt, crystallizingplagioclase and clinopyroxene as cumulate phases and refertilizingpreviously depleted peridotites. Melt impregnation occurredlate in the deformation history of the host peridotites. Thedeformation took place at stresses of 13–26 MPa and attemperatures around 1000–1200°C, at the base of thethermal lithosphere. The melt therefore impregnated relativelycold mantle rocks, implying that the thermal lithosphere reachedinto the mantle during magmatic activity. We conclude that theOthris Ophiolite represents a spreading environment with a relativelythick lithosphere, such as that near an axial discontinuityor transform fault of a slow-spreading ridge. The proposed magmaticand deformation history of the peridotites is in agreement withepisodic magmatism at slow-spreading ridges. We thus concludethat the heterogeneous character of the mantle section of theOthris Ophiolite results from melt impregnation processes. Wesuggest that the presence of lherzolitic ophiolite types amongharzburgitic ophiolite types in the Hellenic–Dinaric chainreflects variable degrees of melt impregnation and refertilizationrather than partial melting and melt extraction. KEY WORDS: lithospheric mantle deformation; melt impregnation; microstructures; Othris Ophiolite; plagioclase peridotites     

Application of the Conditional Nonlinear Optimal Perturbation Method to the Predictability Study of the Kuroshio Large Meander

A reduced-gravity barotropic shallow-water model was used to simulate the Kuroshio path variations.The results show that the model was able to capture the essential features of these path variations.We used one simulation of the model as the reference state and investigated the effects of errors in model parameters on the prediction of the transition to the Kuroshio large meander (KLM) state using the conditional nonlinear optimal parameter perturbation (CNOP-P) method.Because of their relatively large uncertainties,three model parameters were considered:the interfacial friction coefficient,the wind-stress amplitude,and the lateral friction coefficient.We determined the CNOP-Ps optimized for each of these three parameters independently,and we optimized all three parameters simultaneously using the Spectral Projected Gradient 2 (SPG2) algorithm.Similarly,the impacts caused by errors in initial conditions were examined using the conditional nonlinear optimal initial perturbation (CNOP-I) method.Both the CNOP-I and CNOP-Ps can result in significant prediction errors of the KLM over a lead time of 240 days.But the prediction error caused by CNOP-I is greater than that caused by CNOP-P.The results of this study indicate not only that initial condition errors have greater effects on the prediction of the KLM than errors in model parameters but also that the latter cannot be ignored.Hence,to enhance the forecast skill of the KLM in this model,the initial conditions should first be improved,the model parameters should use the best possible estimates.     

Geochemistry of the Othris Ophiolite, Greece: Evidence for Refertilization?

The Othris peridotite massif, Greece, shows conflicting evidencefor a mid-ocean ridge and supra-subduction zone tectonic settingwith the presence of plagioclase peridotite that may representan area of either incomplete melt extraction, or melt impregnationand accumulation. To address these problems we focus on a 3km continuous section in the Fournos Kaïtsa area, consistingof layers of harzburgite, plagioclase harzburgite and plagioclaselherzolite with accurately known structural and petrographiccontrol. Refractory, Cr-rich spinel compositions and light rareearth element depleted clinopyroxenes in the harzburgites areconsistent with     

Three-Dimensional Structure of Optimal Nonlinear Excitation for Decadal Variability of the Thermohaline Circulation

The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation（THC） is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show that the optimal initial perturbations of temperature and salinity exciting the strongest decadal THC variations have similar structures： the perturbations are mainly in the northwestern basin at a depth ranging from 1500 to 3000 m. These temperature and salinity perturbations act as the optimal precursors for future modifications of the THC, highlighting the importance of observations in the northwestern basin to monitor the variations of temperature and salinity at depth. The decadal THC variation in the nonlinear model initialized by the optimal salinity perturbations is much stronger than that caused by the optimal temperature perturbations, indicating that salinity variations might play a relatively important role in exciting the decadal THC variability. Moreover, the decadal THC variations in the tangent linear and nonlinear models show remarkably different characteristics, suggesting the importance of nonlinear processes in the decadal variability of the THC.