Although there has been significant progress in the seismic imaging of mantle heterogeneity, the outstanding issue that remains to be resolved is the unknown distribution of mantle temperature anomalies in the distant...Although there has been significant progress in the seismic imaging of mantle heterogeneity, the outstanding issue that remains to be resolved is the unknown distribution of mantle temperature anomalies in the distant geological past that give rise to the present-day anomalies inferred by global tomography models. To address this question, we present 3-D convection models in compressible and self-gravitating mantle initialised by different hypothetical temperature patterns. A notable feature of our forward convection modelling is the use of self-consistent coupling of the motion of surface tectonic plates to the underlying mantle flow, without imposing prescribed surface velocities （i.e., p/ate-like boundary condition）. As an approximation for the surface mechanical conditions before plate tectonics began to operate we employ the no-slip （rigid） boundary condition. A rigid boundary condition dem- onstrates that the initial thermally-dominated structure is preserved, and its geographical location is fixed during the evolution of mantle flow. Considering the impact of different assumed surface boundary conditions （rigid and plate-like） on the evolution of thermal heterogeneity in the mantle we suggest that the intrinsic buoyancy of seven superplumes is most-likely resolved in the tomographic images of present-day mantle thermal structure. Our convection simulations with a plate-like boundary condition reveal that the evolution of an initial cold anomaly beneath the Java-lndonesian trench system yields a long-term, stable pattern of thermal heterogeneity in the lowermost mantle that resembles the present- day Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces （LLSVPs）, especially below the Pacific. The evolution of sub- duction zones may be, however, influenced by the mantle-wide flow driven by deeply-rooted and long- lived superplumes since Archean times. These convection models also detect the intrinsic buoyancy of the Perm Anomaly that has been identified as a unique slow feature distinct from the two principal LLSVPs. We find there is no need for dense chemical ＇piles＇ in the lower mantle to generate a stable distribution of temperature anomalies that are correlated to the LLSVPs and the Perm Anomaly. Our tomography-based convection simulations also demonstrate that intraplate volcanism in the south-east Pacific may be interpreted in terms of shallow small-scale convection triggered by a superplume beneath the East Pacific Rise.展开更多
Wrinkle ridges are common landforms documented on all rocky planets and the Moon in the inner solar system.Despite the long research history,their formation mechanisms remain debated.A key unresolved issue is whether ...Wrinkle ridges are common landforms documented on all rocky planets and the Moon in the inner solar system.Despite the long research history,their formation mechanisms remain debated.A key unresolved issue is whether the wrinkle-ridge formation is related to igneous processes.This is because wrinkle ridges are mostly associated in space and possibly in time with the occurrence of flood-basalt volcanism in all cases in the inner solar system.To address this issue,we conducted geomorphological mapping,a topographic-data analysis,and a detailed landform and landsystem analysis of satellite images at a resolution of 25 cm/pixel to 6 m/pixel in the central Tharsis region of Mars.The main results of this work are in the form of(1)a regional geomorphological map at a resolution of 6 m/pixel and(2)a local geomorphological map at a resolution of 50 cm/pixel.Our work suggests the following older-to-younger sequence of geological events in the study area:(1)formation of a northeast-trending mountain range(i.e.,the Thaumasia plateau)along the eastern margin of the Tharsis rise that was created by the Himalayan-style crustal-scale thrusting;(2)coeval volcanic-plateau construction west of the thrusting-induced rising mountain range;(3)eastward-flowing lavas that were sourced from a volcanic plateau to the west terminated at the rising Thaumasia plateau to the east;(4)wrinkle-ridge development by decollement folding of recently emplaced warm,ductile volcanic-lava piles;(5)emplacement of a regionally extensive ice sheet over the central Tharsis region that produced extensive boulder-bearing materials,striated surfaces,and boulder-bearing dendritic-ridge networks possibly representing subglacial eskers;and(6)local deposition of highly concentrated glacial flours resulted in the formation of mantled terrain on plains between wrinkle ridges.Our work supports the early suggestion that the Tharsis wrinkle ridges were created by horizontal shortening induced by crustal-scale tectonic processes.In detail,however,the occurrence of flow-front-like fold margins associated with many mapped wrinkle ridges suggests the involvement of ductile-flow deformation during ridge formation.We attribute the flow-like fold fronts to ductile deformation of thermally weakened lava piles that were emplaced during or immediately before the folding event.Our compression-induced wrinkle-ridge model also differs from the early hypotheses in that the thin-skinned folding is associated with basement subduction,which explains the lack of coeval and parallel folding and extensional faulting associated with wrinkle ridge formation in the study area.Post-folding glacial modification means that the present wrinkle-ridge morphologies may differ significantly from the original fold shapes,which prevents the utility of using topographic profiles across wrinkle ridges for inverting the underlying thrust geometries.展开更多
基金provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canadathe Canadian Institute for Advanced Research(Earth System Evolution Program)
文摘Although there has been significant progress in the seismic imaging of mantle heterogeneity, the outstanding issue that remains to be resolved is the unknown distribution of mantle temperature anomalies in the distant geological past that give rise to the present-day anomalies inferred by global tomography models. To address this question, we present 3-D convection models in compressible and self-gravitating mantle initialised by different hypothetical temperature patterns. A notable feature of our forward convection modelling is the use of self-consistent coupling of the motion of surface tectonic plates to the underlying mantle flow, without imposing prescribed surface velocities （i.e., p/ate-like boundary condition）. As an approximation for the surface mechanical conditions before plate tectonics began to operate we employ the no-slip （rigid） boundary condition. A rigid boundary condition dem- onstrates that the initial thermally-dominated structure is preserved, and its geographical location is fixed during the evolution of mantle flow. Considering the impact of different assumed surface boundary conditions （rigid and plate-like） on the evolution of thermal heterogeneity in the mantle we suggest that the intrinsic buoyancy of seven superplumes is most-likely resolved in the tomographic images of present-day mantle thermal structure. Our convection simulations with a plate-like boundary condition reveal that the evolution of an initial cold anomaly beneath the Java-lndonesian trench system yields a long-term, stable pattern of thermal heterogeneity in the lowermost mantle that resembles the present- day Large Low Shear Velocity Provinces （LLSVPs）, especially below the Pacific. The evolution of sub- duction zones may be, however, influenced by the mantle-wide flow driven by deeply-rooted and long- lived superplumes since Archean times. These convection models also detect the intrinsic buoyancy of the Perm Anomaly that has been identified as a unique slow feature distinct from the two principal LLSVPs. We find there is no need for dense chemical ＇piles＇ in the lower mantle to generate a stable distribution of temperature anomalies that are correlated to the LLSVPs and the Perm Anomaly. Our tomography-based convection simulations also demonstrate that intraplate volcanism in the south-east Pacific may be interpreted in terms of shallow small-scale convection triggered by a superplume beneath the East Pacific Rise.
文摘Wrinkle ridges are common landforms documented on all rocky planets and the Moon in the inner solar system.Despite the long research history,their formation mechanisms remain debated.A key unresolved issue is whether the wrinkle-ridge formation is related to igneous processes.This is because wrinkle ridges are mostly associated in space and possibly in time with the occurrence of flood-basalt volcanism in all cases in the inner solar system.To address this issue,we conducted geomorphological mapping,a topographic-data analysis,and a detailed landform and landsystem analysis of satellite images at a resolution of 25 cm/pixel to 6 m/pixel in the central Tharsis region of Mars.The main results of this work are in the form of(1)a regional geomorphological map at a resolution of 6 m/pixel and(2)a local geomorphological map at a resolution of 50 cm/pixel.Our work suggests the following older-to-younger sequence of geological events in the study area:(1)formation of a northeast-trending mountain range(i.e.,the Thaumasia plateau)along the eastern margin of the Tharsis rise that was created by the Himalayan-style crustal-scale thrusting;(2)coeval volcanic-plateau construction west of the thrusting-induced rising mountain range;(3)eastward-flowing lavas that were sourced from a volcanic plateau to the west terminated at the rising Thaumasia plateau to the east;(4)wrinkle-ridge development by decollement folding of recently emplaced warm,ductile volcanic-lava piles;(5)emplacement of a regionally extensive ice sheet over the central Tharsis region that produced extensive boulder-bearing materials,striated surfaces,and boulder-bearing dendritic-ridge networks possibly representing subglacial eskers;and(6)local deposition of highly concentrated glacial flours resulted in the formation of mantled terrain on plains between wrinkle ridges.Our work supports the early suggestion that the Tharsis wrinkle ridges were created by horizontal shortening induced by crustal-scale tectonic processes.In detail,however,the occurrence of flow-front-like fold margins associated with many mapped wrinkle ridges suggests the involvement of ductile-flow deformation during ridge formation.We attribute the flow-like fold fronts to ductile deformation of thermally weakened lava piles that were emplaced during or immediately before the folding event.Our compression-induced wrinkle-ridge model also differs from the early hypotheses in that the thin-skinned folding is associated with basement subduction,which explains the lack of coeval and parallel folding and extensional faulting associated with wrinkle ridge formation in the study area.Post-folding glacial modification means that the present wrinkle-ridge morphologies may differ significantly from the original fold shapes,which prevents the utility of using topographic profiles across wrinkle ridges for inverting the underlying thrust geometries.
