Non-lithostaticpressure in subductionzones

International audienceThe pressure at depth is not directly observable and no one knows precisely to which extent the pressure conditions in subduction zones, recorded by high-pressure metamorphic rocks, deviate from mantle lithostatic pressure. As an alternative to large-scale complex numerical models of subduction zones, the analytical subduction channel model can give us some insight on the physical processes that control the development of non-lithostatic pressure, as well as some estimation of its amplitude. We propose a new approach coupling the flow of crust within the channel to the deformation of the mantle bounding the channel, occurring as the pressure within the channel deviates from mantle lithostatic values. While for very weak crust within the subduction channel, the channel walls are rigid and channel geometry does not vary, for stronger crust, our coupled approach unravels a new domain of behaviour where the mantle is no longer completely rigid and the deformation of the channel walls prevents arbitrarily large non-lithostatic pressure to develop. This new regime poses an upper bound on the amplitude of non-lithostatic pressure within the channel that depends only on the mantle viscosity. The transition from one regime to another is dependent on an adimensional parameter 3 0 3 m c h L , incorporating not only mantle and crust viscosity but also the geometry of the channel. The development of larger non-lithostatic pressure in thinner channels than in larger ones, predicted in the rigid channel model, is partly inhibited in the fully coupled model as thinner channels more easily induce channel wall deformation. The lengthscale of the channel width perturbations influences the amplitude of non-lithostatic pressure, as small-scale ones, inducing a more rigid response of the mantle, potentially trigger larger non-lithostatic pressure

Consequences of progressive eclogitization on crustal exhumation, a mechanical study

The very low water content of the granulitic unit of Holsnøy, in the Bergen Arcs, Norway, caused its partial metastable preservation throughout Caledonian burial end exhumation, leading to the observed mixture of completely eclogitized and uneclogitized rocks. The eclogitization of the granulite-facies protolith led to a density increase ∼10%, but also to a large rheological weakening that resulted in the localization of all deep ductile deformation in the eclogite fraction. We address the consequences on subduction dynamics of the concomitant evolution of large-scale density and rheology during progressive eclogitization of crust by comparing the behaviour of buried crust with various properties in the channel-flow model. Large-scale buoyancy and density are integrated in a single adimensional parameter, the 'exhumation number'α, which describes the capacity of the crust to exhume. For a crust whose eclogitization causes a very large viscosity decrease ('burial resistant' end-member), α goes through a maximum in the partially eclogitized zone, that is, there is a given proportion of eclogite for which the crust is strongly weakened but still significantly lighter than surrounding mantle. For this partially eclogitized crust with α max, the maximum possible downward flow is very low, this zone acts as a bottleneck and all incoming crust in excess is forced backwards and starts exhuming. This return flow zone is bounded downwards in the partially eclogitized zone by α max, while its upper limit propagates upwards at a constant rate. The curve α(eclogite fraction) controls the maximum proportion of eclogite of the crust that can be exhumed. We also demonstrate that large exhumation rates reached by certain UHP units are incompatible with any stationary flow regime, whatever the nature of subducted crust. The additional presence of a weak layer on top of the channel favours burial for narrow channels and exhumation for large ones, but does not qualitatively change the dynamics of the subduction channel. This study shows that deep crustal circulation in subduction zones and exhumation from large depths are controlled by the evolution of large-scale crustal properties with progressive eclogitization

Crystal bending, subgrain boundary development, and recrystallization in orthopyroxene during granulite-facies deformation

International audienceA prominent feature of a granulite-facies shear zone from the Hidaka Main Zone (Japan) is the folding of orthopyroxene (opx) porphyroclasts. Dislocation density estimated by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and chemical etching in homogeneously folded domains is too low to account for the amplitude of crystallographic bending, leading us to propose a model similar to "flexural slip" folding, where folded layers are micrometer-wide opx layers between thin planar clinopyroxene (cpx) exsolutions. Extension (compression) in the extrados (intrados) of the folded layer is accommodated by dislocations at the cpx-opx interfaces. Alternatively to distributed deformation, crystal bending also localizes in grain boundaries (GBs), mostly oriented close to the (001) plane and with various misorientation angles but misorientation axes consistently close to the b-axis. For misorientation up to a few degrees, GBs were imaged as tilt walls composed of regularly spaced (100)[001] dislocations. For misorientation angles of 7°, individual dislocations are no longer visible, but high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) observation showed the partial continuity of opx tetrahedral chains through the boundary. For 21° misorientation, the two adjacent crystals are completely separated by an incoherent boundary. In spite of these atomic-scale variations, all GBs share orientation and rotation axis, suggesting a continuous process of misorientation by symmetric incorporation of (100)[001] dislocations. In addition to the dominant GBs perpendicular to the (100) plane, boundaries at low angle with (100) planes are also present, incorporating dislocations with a component of Burgers vector along the a-axis. The two kinds of boundaries combine to delimit subgrains, which progressively rotate with respect to host grains around the b-axis, eventually leading to recrystallization of large porphyroclasts

Grain-sizereductionmechanisms and rheologicalconsequences in high-temperaturegabbromylonites of Hidaka, Japan

International audienceThe study of microstructures and crystallographic fabrics in a granulite-facies shear zone of the Hidaka Metamorphic Belt showed that the strong shearing localized within the mylonite resulted in the asymmetrical elongation of the inherited orthopyroxene porphyroclasts and the generation of fine-grained plagioclase and orthopyroxene layers as asymmetric tails of orthopyroxene porphyroclasts. The orthopyroxene porphyroclasts and the coarse plagioclase matrix surrounding them have a strong crystallographic preferred orientation acquired through deformation by dislocation creep. In contrast, the small orthopyroxene and plagioclase grains located in the tails have equant shapes and random fabric that are interpreted as the result of deformation by grain-boundary sliding. The small orthopyroxene grains are generated on the sheared rims of the orthopyroxene porphyroclasts by subgrain rotation, inheriting the orientation of the porphyroclasts before deforming by grain-boundary sliding (GBS) and losing this fabric. Additional mechanism of grain-sizereduction is the disruption of orthopyroxene porphyroclasts by synthetic shear zones localized on clinopyroxene exsolutions. The switch in deformation mechanism from dislocation creep to GBS, associated with the grain-sizereduction, yielded estimates of deviatoric stress one order smaller than lithostatic pressure. Besides, such rheological evolution attests of the mechanical softening during deformation, which contributed to the localization of the strain within the mylonite

Low-grade metamorphism around the down-dip limit of seismogenic subduction zones: Example from an ancient accretionary complex in the Shimanto Belt, Japan

International audienceReactions involving clay minerals during low-grade metamorphism at the depth of an ancient accretionary complex in the Shimanto Belt, Kyushu, Japan, were studied by integrated transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses of the bulk rock and clay fraction. The analyzed metasediment (the Kitagawa unit) contain an incipient sub-horizontal slaty cleavage. Illite crystallinity data and mica b dimensions indicate that the conditions of metamorphic deformation were anchizone-epizone grade and intermediate pressure. Cleavage formation was linked to two reactions involving clay minerals: (1) the recrystallization of 1M-dominant matrix mica, inherited from the original sedimentary fabric, into thick, defect-free 2M1 packets along cleavage planes; and (2) the formation of chlorite from 7 Å berthierine. Balanced equations among the clay phases, based on compositional data and their relative abundance, suggest that the decomposition of matrix mica resulted in the formation of paragenetic mica and chlorite along the cleavage planes, without significant elemental outflux. Although a modal increase in phyllosilicates is not indicated by the data, the growth of chlorite and mica along cleavage planes may have a large influence on the rheological properties of a décollement and may be related to the occurrence of the seismic-aseismic transition at ~ 350 °C

The role of compaction contrasts in sediments in décollement initiation in an accretionary prism

International audienceTo understand how décollements develop into the pristine sedimentary succession entering subduction zones, we have performed mechanical tests on samples from the sediment column entering the Nankai accretionary prism, Japan (ODP site 1173). Both poroelastic compliance and plastic shrinkage upon application of a large effective pressure sharply decrease with depth in a ~ 100 m-thick domain in the upper section of the Lower Shikoku Basin unit, i.e. in a domain stratigraphically close to the actual location of the décollement near the toe of the prism. These property contrasts provide a potential explanation for the outward migration of the décollement into the incoming sediments. When approaching the deformation front, a given material particle is affected by an increase in stress, which has a component of vertical loading due to the deposition of overburden trench sediment, and also a component of lateral compression transmitted from the accretionary wedge. Depending on its initial mechanical state, the amount of lateral shortening in the incoming Nankai sediment column varies with depth and causes horizontal velocity gradients that concentrate into the mechanical transition zone (upper section of the Lower Shikoku Basin at appx. 450-550 m depth) into which the décollement eventually propagates. Future work has to assess the role of this plastic deformation relative to other governing factors such as friction coefficient and excess pore pressure, both at Nankai and along other active margins

Kinematics of syn-eclogite deformation in the Bergen Arcs, Norway, implications for exhumation mechanisms

The northwestern part of Holsnøy island, in the Bergen Arcs, Norway, consists of a granulite-facies protolith partially transformed at depth in eclogite (700 °C, > 19 kbars) and amphibolite (650 °C, 8-10 kbars) facies during the Caledonian orogenesis. Eclogitized zones are mainly planar objects (fractures with parallel reaction bands and cm-to-100 m-scale shear zones). Eclogitic zones are distributed in two sets of orientations and the associated deformation can be described as 'bookshelf tectonics'. The major shear zones strike around N120 and dip to the North, and show consistent top-to-the-NE shear sense throughout the area. In the large-scale kinematic frame of Caledonian NW-dipping slab, eclogitic shear zones are interpreted as the way to detach crustal units from the subducting slab and to prevent their further sinking. As the retrograde amphibolitic deformation pattern is similar to the eclogitic one, the detached crustal units started their way up along these eclogitic shear zones. Radiometric ages of eclogitic and amphibolitic metamorphism and their comparison with the chronology of Caledonian orogenesis show that the deformation recorded on Holsnøy occurred in a convergent context. The mechanism we propose can thus account for the first steps of exhumation during collision

Experimental grain growth of quartz aggregates under wet conditions and its application to deformation in nature

Source at https://doi.org/10.5194/se-10-621-2019. Grain growth of quartz was investigated using two quartz samples (powder and novaculite) with water under pressure and temperature conditions of 1.0–2.5 GPa and 800–1100 ∘C. The compacted powder preserved a substantial porosity, which caused a slower grain growth than in the novaculite. We assumed a grain growth law of dn−dn0=k0frH2Oexp(−Q/RT)t with grain size d (µm) at time t (seconds), initial grain size d0 (µm), growth exponent n, a constant k0 (µmn MPa−r s−1), water fugacity fH2O (MPa) with the exponent r, activation energy Q (kJ mol−1), gas constant R, and temperature T in Kelvin. The parameters we obtained were n=2.5±0.4, k0=10−8.8±1.4, r=2.3±0.3, and Q=48±34 for the powder and n=2.9±0.4, k0=10−5.8±2.0, r=1.9±0.3, and Q=60±49 for the novaculite. The grain growth parameters obtained for the powder may be of limited use because of the high porosity of the powder with respect to crystalline rocks (novaculite), even if the differences between powder and novaculite vanish when grain sizes reach ∼70 µm. Extrapolation of the grain growth laws to natural conditions indicates that the contribution of grain growth to plastic deformation in the middle crust may be small. However, grain growth might become important for deformation in the lower crust when the strain rate is −12 s−1

Subduction interface processes recorded by eclogite-facies shear zones (Monviso, W. Alps)

International audienceThe Monviso ophiolite Lago Superiore Unit constitutes a well-preserved, almost continuous upper fragment of oceanic lithosphere subducted at c. 80 km depth, thereby providing a unique opportunity to study mechanical coupling processes and meter-scale fluid-rock interactions occurring at such depths in present-day subduction zones. It is made of (i) a variably thick (50-500 m) section of eclogitized basaltic crust (associated with minor calcschist lenses) overlying a 100-400 m thick metagabbroic body and of (ii) a c. 1 km thick serpentinite sole. We herein focus on the three major eclogite-facies shear zones found at the top of the unit, at the boundary between basalts and gabbros, and between gabbros and serpentinites, respectively. Strain localization occurred at lithological interfaces, irrespective of material strength. While ductile deformation dominates along the shear zones, local brittle behaviour is demonstrated by the existence of numerous eclogite breccias of Fe-Ti metagabbros and widespread garnet fractures, possibly linked with intermediate-depth eclogite-facies (micro)seismicity. These m- to hm-sized fragments of Fe-Ti metagabbros were later sheared and disseminated within serpentinite schists along the gabbro-serpentinite boundary (Lower Shear zone; LSZ). Pervasive and focused fluid flow is attested in the LSZ by significant alteration of bulk rock compositions, weakening of the rocks and widespread crystallization of hydrous parageneses. By contrast, the Intermediate Shear zone (ISZ) shows evidence for more restricted, short-range fluid flow. The activity of both the ISZ and LSZ ceased during early lawsonite eclogite-facies exhumation, when deformation localized deeper within the serpentinite sole, allowing for the detachment (and preservation) of this large ophiolitic fragment

Tracing the Scale of Fluid Flow in Subduction Zone Forearcs: Implications from Fluid-Mobile elements

Despite the importance of fluids in subduction zone processes, the extent of mass transfer and fluid circulation from the subducting plate through the forearc region remain unclear. To estimate the fluid budget and scale of fluid circulation in subducted sediments, we assess the distribution and retention of fluid-mobile elements (FME) in metamorphically equivalent metapelites from the Kodiak complex (Alaska) and the Shimanto Belt (Japan). The temperature range of interest is 230–350 °C, i.e., encompasses the base of the seismogenic zone. We examine the Li, B, Rb, Sr, Cs, and Ba concentrations in the bulk rock, as well as in fluid inclusions and individual minerals by (LA-) ICP-MS.The whole-rock composition in metapelites from Kodiak shows no significant loss of FME, which is in contrast to Shimanto where between 10% and 55% of FME (particularly Li, B and Cs) are leached out of rocks. The FME budget in Kodiak is consistent with a redistribution of elements between metamorphic illite and chlorite, whereas in Shimanto the loss of Li, B and Cs as temperature increases is the result of decreasing concentrations in illite and chlorite. The semi-quantitative analysis of fluid inclusions is consistent with a significant enrichment in all analyzed trace elements relative to seawater and interstitial pore fluids of seafloor sediments.Combining the fluid compositions with the whole-rock compositions, mass balance calculations were performed for B, Cs, and Ba. In the Kodiak complex the mass balance calculations are consistent with closed-system behavior, wherein the fluid is an insignificant reservoir for FME. Conversely, in the Shimanto Belt the mass balance calculations are consistent with open-system behavior, wherein large amounts of fluid percolated through rocks and the mass water-rock ratios correspond to 0.5–2.2. We infer that such an open system behavior was promoted by a larger amount of internal strain and the proximity to a large-scale fault zone. Moreover, fluid compositions observed in this study exhibit similarities to the composition of mud volcano fluids. This similarity is consistent with extensive, focused fluid circulation originating from depths of at least 15 km and ascending to the surface through a substantial damage zone associated with an out-of-sequence thrust