The rise and fall of axial highs during ridge jumps
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Abstract:
We simulate jumps of ocean spreading centers with axial high topography using elastoplastic thin plate flexure models. Processes considered include ridge abandonment, the breaking of a stressed plate on the ridge flank, and renewed spreading at the site of this break. We compare model results to topography at the East Pacific Rise between 15°25′N and 16°N, where there is strong evidence of a recent ridge jump. At an apparently abandoned ridge, gravity data do not suggest buoyant support of topography. Model deflections during cooling and melt solidification stages of ridge abandonment are of small vertical amplitude because of plate strengthening, resulting in the preservation of a “frozen” fossil high. The present‐day high is bounded by slopes with up to a 40% grade, a scenario very difficult to achieve flexurally given generally accepted constraints on lithospheric strength. We model these slopes by assuming that the height at which magma is accreted increases rapidly after the ridge jumps. This increase is attributed to high overburden pressure on melt that resided in an initially deep magma chamber, followed by a rapid increase in temperature and melt supply to the region shortly after spreading began. The high is widest at the segment center, suggesting that magmatic activity began near the center of the segment, propagated south and then north. The mantle Bouguer anomaly exhibits a “bull's‐eye” pattern centered at the widest part of the high, but the depth of the axis is nearly constant along the length of the segment. We reconcile these observations by assigning different cross‐axis widths to a low‐density zone within the crust.Keywords:
Ridge push
Magma chamber
Seafloor Spreading
Overburden
Anticline
Density contrast
Gravimetry
Free-air gravity anomaly
Vertical deflection
Basement
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This paper presents a number of new concepts concerning the gravity anomaly. First, it identifies a distinct difference between a surface (2-D) gravity anomaly (the difference between actual gravity on one surface and normal gravity on another surface) and a solid (3-D) gravity anomaly defined in the fundamental gravimetric equation. Second, it introduces the ‘no topography’ gravity anomaly (which turns out to be the complete spherical Bouguer anomaly) as a means to generate a quantity that is smooth, thus suitable for gridding, and harmonic, thus suitable for downward continuation. It is understood that the possibility of downward continuing a smooth gravity anomaly would simplify the task of computing an accurate geoid. It is also shown that the planar Bouguer anomaly is not harmonic, and thus cannot be downward continued.
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An isostatic residual gravity map of Brazil has been computed by removing from a 0.5° × 0.5° Bouguer anomaly grid a regional gravity field calculated for compensating masses of surface topography. The coherence function, a statistical measure of the correlation between Bouguer anomaly and topography, was first computed in order to constrain the compensation mechanism within Brazil. Similar to results for North America and Australia, the coherence function of South America has a broad transition between high and low coherence values, suggesting a combination of tectonic provinces with different flexural rigidities and/or loading processes. In view of this result, we have considered, as a first approximation, a model in which the surface topography is the only load acting on a nonrigid lithosphere. A regional gravity field has been computed assuming Airy‐Heiskanen isostasy with compensation at the crust‐mantle boundary. The residual gravity map, which was obtained by removing the computed regional gravity field from the observed Bouguer anomaly, shows a long‐wavelength N‐S trending negative anomaly over most of Brazil. This gravity feature of approximately 3000 km width is the southern continuation of the western North Atlantic negative geoid/gravity anomaly and reaches at least ∼15 mGal in the northern portion of Brazil. Using the upward continued isostatic residual gravity field at 300 km, this long‐wavelength component, which may be dynamically induced, has been removed to first approximation. The final isostatic residual gravity anomaly map depicts anomalies with wavelengths between 100 and 1000 km which correlate with major tectonic provinces. Negative anomalies occur mainly over Paleozoic intracratonic and Cretaceous rift‐type sedimentary basins, and granitic intrusions and along Proterozoic thrust belts. Positive residual anomalies are generally observed over regions affected by igneous activity and volcanism such as in the Amazon basin and the Paraná flood basalt province. Positive anomalies are also associated with overthrust crustal plates which define a suture zone in central Brazil and over sub‐Andean Tertiary foreland basins.
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The analysis of data from a multi-component geophysical experiment conducted on a segment of the slow-spreading (20 mm yr−1) Mid-Atlantic Ridge shows compelling evidence for a significant crustal magma body beneath the ridge axis. The role played by a crustal magma chamber beneath the axis in determining both the chemical and physical architecture of the newly formed crust is fundamental to our understanding of the accretion of oceanic lithosphere at spreading ridges, and over the last decade subsurface geophysical techniques have successfully imaged such magma chambers beneath a number of intermediate and fast spreading (60–140 mm yr−1 full rate) ridges. However, many similar geophysical studies of slow-spreading ridges have, to date, found little or no evidence for such a magma chamber beneath them.
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A new 3-D crustal model for North-West of Iran Plateau is presented base on the improved gravity database. The area consists of flat and mountainous regions. The Bouguer anomaly variations are of the order of more than three hundreds of miligals. In order to calculate the isostasic gravity residual a crustal model is assessed using the terrain model of the region. The higher frequency of the gravity signal and the terrain model are filtered using 2d discreet wavelet analysis. The thickness of the zero level roots is estimated by comparing with the new crust model. The synthetic gravity for the A-H model is calculated by Forsberg formula. Subtracting the synthetic gravity from the measured gravity, the isostasy residual anomaly for the region is calculated. Large positive anomalies are observed in Alborz mountains.
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The analysis of data from a multi–component geophysical experiment conducted on a segment of the slow–spreading (20 mm yr-1) Mid–Atlantic Ridge shows compelling evidence for a significant crustal magma body beneath the ridge axis. The role played by a crustal magma chamber beneath the axis in determining both the chemical and physical architecture of the newly formed crust is fundamental to our understanding of the accretion of oceanic lithosphere at spreading ridges, and over the last decade subsurface geophysical techniques have successfully imaged such magma chambers beneath a number of intermediate and fast spreading (60-140 mm yr-1 full rate) ridges. However, many similar geophysical studies of slow–spreading ridges have, to date, found little or no evidence for such a magma chamber beneath them.The experiment described here was carefully targeted on a magmatically active, axial volcanic ridge (AVR) segment of the Reykjanes Ridge, centred on 57° 43′ N. It consisted of four major components: wide–angle seismic profiles using ocean bottom seismometers; seismic reflection profiles; controlled source electromagnetic sounding; and magneto–telluric sounding. Interpretation and modelling of the first three of these datasets shows that an anomalous body lies at a depth of between 2 and 3 km below the seafloor beneath the axis of the AVR. This body is characterized by anomalously low seismic P–wave velocity and electrical resistivity, and is associated with a seismic reflector. The geometry and extent of this melt body shows a number of similarities with the axial magma chambers observed beneath ridges spreading at much higher spreading rates. Magneto–telluric soundings confirm the existence of very low electrical resistivities in the crust beneath the AVR and also indicate a deeper zone of low resistivity within the upper mantle beneath the ridge.
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One of the most difficult problems in gravity interpretation is the separation of regional and residual gravity anomalies from the Bouguer gravity anomaly. This study discusses the application of the minimum‐curvature method to determine the regional and residual gravity anomalies.
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Seismic refraction
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The gravity anomalies of the Jurassic and deep structures were obtained by stripping the gravity effect of Cretaceous and Tertiary formations from the available Bouguer gravity map in central and south Iraq. The gravity effect of the stripped layers was determined depending on the density log or the density density obtained from the sonic log. The density relation with the seismic velocity of Gardner et al (1974) was used to obtain density from sonic logs in case of a lack of density log. The average density of the Cretaceous and Tertiary formation were determined then the density contrast of these formations was obtained. The density contrast and thickness of all stratigraphic formations in the area between the sea level to the top of Jurassic formations were used to determine the gravity effect of these layers. The gravity anomaly map of the stripped formation was determined. The gravity anomaly map of the stripped formation was subtracted from the Bouguer gravity map, and the gravity anomaly map of deep structures was obtained. The regional and residual maps (3rd order polynomial ) were determined for the gravity anomaly maps before and after stripping. The regional gravity map before stripping shows one positive anomaly located at the western part of the study area and west Abu-Jir and Euphrates faults. The regional gravity map after stripping shows a positive anomaly located along an axis extended from Kut toward Najaf. This positive anomaly map divided the sedimentary basin into two sub-basins. The positive gravity residual anomaly of the Bouguer map before stripping shows regionally three structural axes trending NW-SE. These axes are Baghdad-Kut axis, northwest Karbala axis and west Samawa- Nasiriyah axis. The positive residual anomaly map after stripping shows two important anomaly areas. The first area is located between Kut and Karbala-Najaf . and the second is located northwest Karbala by about 100-120 km. These two areas may be prospective areas for hydrocarbon. The stripping method application in the study area shows good result; therefor, it can be used to enhance the gravity data to investigate deep structures in other areas.
Density contrast
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Gravity fields over the crests of slow spreading mid‐ocean ridges are characterized by small amplitude free air gravity anomaly lows (30–70 mGal) with wavelengths of 40–60 km, flanked by smaller gravity highs. In general, the amplitude and wavelength of these gravity lows decrease with increasing spreading rate until, at fast spreading ridges (> 5 cm/yr), free air gravity highs (10–20 mGal) are observed. Previous explanations of these anomalies, which involve uncompensated ridges, thermally expanded ridges and elastic plate compensation models, are generally not consistent with the geological evidence regarding the nature of the crust and upper mantle beneath the ridge crest. In particular, the postulated presence of wide zones of partial melt in the uppermost mantle is inconsistent with petrologic data from mid‐ocean ridge basalts, which indicates that primary melts are in equilibrium with and extracted from residual mantle at depths of 30 km or more. In addition, similar gravity lows observed over extinct spreading ridges suggest that the anomalies are not mainly due to any dynamic aspect of the accretion process taking place at active spreading centers. Geometrical models of mid‐ocean ridges derived from detailed structural and petrologic studies of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex have been used to generate gravity anomalies over ridges with various spreading rates. Modeling results show that four main sources serve to define the amplitude and wavelength of the gravity anomaly: the ridge topography, the crustal level magma chamber, the configuration of the isotherms near the ridge crest, and a low‐density, partially gabbroic cumulate root extending vertically into the mantle beneath the ridge. Systematic variations in the contributions from these sources with increasing spreading rate control the changes in character of the gravity anomaly from slow to fast spreading centers. Major contributions are found to come from the topography and from the lowdensity root, which broadens with slower spreading rates, resulting in both increasing amplitude and increasing wavelength with decreasing spreading rate. At extinct spreading centers, contributions from the magma chamber, isotherms, and topography gradually diminish with time once the ridge ceases to spread, whereas the low‐density root remains a permanent part of the oceanic lithosphere and continues its contribution to the gravity field. Seismic evidence from slow spreading centers appears to support the existence of the lowdensity gabbroic root zone inferred from the study of the Bay of Islands ophiolite and the gravity analysis presented here.
Free-air gravity anomaly
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Seafloor Spreading
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