How thick is the magmatic crust at slow spreading oceanic ridges?

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

Volumn 101, Issue 2, 1996, Pages 2847-2857

  Cannat, Mathilde ^a  

^a CNRS   (France)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AXIAL SEGMENTATION; AXIAL VALLEY FORMATION; CRUSTAL THICKNESS; GEOLOGICAL MODEL; MAGMA SUPPLY; MID OCEAN RIDGE; SLOW SPREADING RIDGE; SLOW-SPREADING; SPREADING CENTRES;

EID: 0029770532     PISSN: 21699313     EISSN: 21699356     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1029/95jb03116     Document Type: Article

References (96)

1. Agrinier, P., and M. Cannat, Oxygen isotopic constraints on serpentinization processes in ultramafic rocks from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (lat. 23°N), Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 153, 1995.
2. Barclay, A. H., D. R. Toomey, G. M. Purdy, and S. C. Solomon, FARA Microearthquake Experiments III: Results from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 35°N (abstract), EOS Trans. AGU, (43), Fall Meet. Suppl.,74, 601, 1993.
3. Benn, K., A. Nicolas, and I. Reuber, Mantle-crust transition zone and origin of wehrlitic magmas: Evidence from the Oman ophiolite, Tectonophysics, 151, 75-85, 1988.
4. Blackman, D. K., and D. W, Forsyth, Isostatic compensation of tectonic features of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: 25-27°30'S, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 11741-11758, 1991.
5. Bloomer, S. H., J. H. Natland, and R. L. Fisher, Mineral relationships in gabbroic rocks from fracture zones of Indian Ocean ridges: Evidence for extensive fractionation, parental diversity, and boundary-layer recrystallization, in Magmatism in the Ocean Basins, edited by A. D. Saunders and M. J. Norry, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., London, 42, 107-124, 1989.
6. Bloomer, S. H., P. S. Meyer, H. J. B. Dick, K. Ozawa, and J. H. Natland, Textural and mineralogical variations in gabbroic rocks from Hole 735B, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 118, 21-40, 1991.
7. Bonatti, E., A. Peyve, P. Kepezhinskas, N. Kurentsova, M. Seyler, S. Skolotnev, and G. Udintsev, Upper mantle heterogeneity below the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 0°-15°N, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 4461-4476, 1992.
8. Boudier, F., and A. Nicolas, Harzburgite and Iherzolite subtypes in ophiolitic and oceanic environments, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 76, 84-92, 1985.
9. Bown, J. W., and R. S. White, Variation with spreading rate of oceanic crustal thickness and geochemistry. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 121, 435-449, 1994.
10. Cannat, M., Emplacement of mantle rocks in the seafloor at mid-ocean ridges, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 4163-4172, 1993.
11. Cannat, M., and J. F. Casey, An ultramafic lift at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Successive stages of magmatism in serpentinized peridotites from the 15°N region, Mantle and Lower Crust Exposed in Oceanic Ridges and in Ophiolites, edited by R. Vissers and A. Nicolas, pp. 5-34 Kluwer Academic, Norwell, Mass., 1995.
12. Cannat M., T. Juteau, and E. Berger. Petrostructural analysis of the Leg 109 peridotites (Hole 670A), Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 106/109, 47-56, 1990.
13. Cannat, M., C. Mével, and D. S. Stakes, Stretching of the deep crust at the slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge, Tectonophysics, 190, 73-94, 1991.
14. Cannat, M., and M. Seyler, Transform tectonics, metamorphic plagioclase and amphibolitization in ultramafic rocks of the Vema transform fault (Atlantic Ocean), Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 133, 283-298, 1995.
15. Cannat, M., et al., Thin crust, ultramafic exposures and rugged faulting patterns at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (22°-24°N), Geology, 23, 49-52, 1995a.
16. Cannat, M., F. Chatin, H. Whitechurch, and G. Ceuleneer, A suite of variably fractionated magmas trapped in the upper mantle at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 153, 1995b.
17. Chen, Y. J., Oceanic crustal thickness versus spreading rate, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19, 753-756, 1992.
18. Chen, Y., and W. J. Morgan. A nonlinear rheology model for mid-ocean ridge axis topography, J. Geophys. Res., 95, 17583-17604. 1990.
19. Christensen, N. I., The abundance of serpentinites in the oceanic crust, J. Geol., 80, 709-719, 1972.
20. Cochran, J. R., An analysis of isostasy in the world's oceans, 2, Midocean ridge crests, J. Geophys. Res., 84, 4713-4729, 1979.
21. Detrick, R. S., P. Buhl, E. Vera, J. Mutter, J. Orcutt, J. Madsen, and T. Brocher, Multichannel seismic imaging of a crustal magma chamber along the East Pacific Rise between 9°N and 13°N, Nature, 326, 35-41, 1987.
22. Detrick, R. S., R. S. White, and G. M. Purdy, Crustal structure of north Atlantic fracture zones, Rev. Geophys., 31, 439-458, 1993.
23. Detrick, R. S., H. D. Needham, and V. Renard, Gravity anomalies and crustal thickness variations along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 33°N and 40°N, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 3767-3787, 1995.
24. Dick, H. J. B., Abyssal peridotites, very slow spreading ridges and ocean ridge magmatism, in Magmatism in the Ocean Basins, edited by A. D. Saunders and M. J. Noms, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., London, 42, 71-105, 1989.
25. Dick, H. J. B., G. Thompson, and W. B. Bryan, Low-angle faulting and steady state emplacement of plutonic rocks at ridge-transform intersections (abstract), Eos Trans. AGU, 62, 406, 1981.
26. Dick, H. J. B., R. L. Fisher, and W. B. Bryan, Mineralogie variability of the uppermost mantle along mid-ocean ridges, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 69, 88-106, 1984.
27. Dick, H. J. B., P. S. Meyer, S. Bloomer, S. Kirby, D. S. Stakes, and C. Mawer, Lithostratigraphic evolution of an in-situ section of oceanic layer 3, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results. 118, 439-538, 1991.
28. Elthon, D., M. Stewart, and D. K. Ross, Compositional trends of minerals in oceanic cumulates, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 15189-15199, 1992.
29. Flower, M. F. J., Thermal and kinematic control on ocean-ridge magma fractionation: contrasts between Atlantic and Pacific spreading axis, J. Geol. Soc. London, 138, 695-712, 1981.
30. Fox, P. J., N. R. Grindlay, K. C. Macdonald, S. M. Carbotte, D. W. Forsyth, and B. Y. Kuo, The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (31°-34°S): Temporal and spatial variations of accretionary processes, Mar. Geophys. Res., 13, 1-20, 1991.
31. Früh-Green, G. L., A. Plas, and C. Lécuyer, Petrologic and stable isotope constraints on hydrothermal alteration and serpentinization of the East Pacific Rise shallow mantle at Hess Deep (ODP Site 895), Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 147, 1995.
32. Gente, P., R. Pockalny, C. Durand, C. Deplus, M. Maia, G. Ceuleneer, C. Mével, M. Cannat, and C. Laverne, Characteristics and evolution of the segmentation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 20̈N and 24̈N during the last 10 million years, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 129, 55-71, 1995.
33. Gillis, K. M., G. Thompson, and D. S. Kelley, A view of the lower crustal component of hydrothermal systems at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 19597-19619, 1993.
34. Girardeau, J., and J. Francheteau, Plagioclase-wehrlites and peridotites on the East Pacific Rise (Hess Deep) and Mid-Atlantic Ridge (DSDP Site 334): Evidence for magma percolation in the oceanic upper mantle, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 115, 137-149, 1993.
35. Harding, A. J., J. A. Orcutt, M. E. Kappus, E. E. Vera, J. C. Mutter, P. Buhl, R. S. Detrick, and T. M. Brocher, Structure of young oceanic crust at 13̈N on the East Pacific Rise from expanding spread profiles, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 12163-12196, 1989.
36. Hess, H. H., History of ocean basins, in Petrologic Studies, Burlington Volume, edited by A. E. J. Engel, H. L. James, and B. F. Leonard, pp. 599-620, Geol. Soc. of Am., Boulder, Colo., 1962.
37. Hooft, E. E., and R. S. Detrick, The role of density in the accumulation of basaltic melts at mid-ocean ridges, Geophys. Res. Lett., 20, 423-426, 1993.
38. Huang, P. Y., and S. C. Solomon, Centroid depths of mid-ocean ridge earthquakes: Dependence on spreading rates, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 13445-13477, 1988.
39. Iturrino, G. J., N. I. Christensen, S. Kirby, and M. H. Salisbury, Seismic velocities and elastic properties of oceanic gabbroic rocks from Hole 735B, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results. 118, 227-244, 1991.
40. Karson, J. A., Seafloor spreading on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Implications for the structure of ophiolites and oceanic lithosphere produced in slow-spreading environments, in Proceedings of the Symposium "Troodos 1987", edited by J. Malpas, E. M. Moores, A. Panayiotou, and C. Xenophontos, pp. 547-555, Geol. Surv. Dep., Nicosia, Cyprus, 1991.
41. Karson, J. A., and D. Elthon, Evidence for variations in magma production along oceanic spreading centers: A critical appraisal, Geology, 15, 127-131, 1987.
42. Karson, J. A., J. A. Collins, and J. F. Casey, Geologic and seismic velocity structure of the crust-mantle transition in the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex, J. Geophys. Res., 89, 6126-6138, 1984.
43. Karson, J. A., et al., Along axis variations in seafloor spreading in the MARK area. Nature, 328, 681-685, 1987.
44. Kirby, S. H., Rheology of the lithosphere, Rev. Geophys., 21, 1458-1483, 1983.
45. Klein, E. M., and C. H. Langmuir, Global correlations of ocean ridge basalt chemistry with axial depth and crustal thickness, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 8089-8115, 1987.
46. Kong, L. S., S. C. Solomon, and G. M. Purdy, Microearthquake characteristics of a mid-ocean ridge along-axis high, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 1659-1685, 1992.
47. Kuo, B. Y., and D. W. Forsyth, Gravity anomalies of the ridge-transform system in the South Atlantic between 31° and 34.5°S: Upwelling centers and variations in crustal thickness, Mar. Geophys. Res., 10, 205-232, 1988.
48. Kuznir, N. J., and M. H. P. Bott, A thermal study of the formation of oceanic crust, Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc., London, 47, 83-95, 1976.
49. Lewis, B. T. R., Isostasy, magma chambers and plate driving forces on the East Pacific Rise, J. Geophys. Res., 86, 4868-4880, 1981.
50. Lin, J., and E. M. Parmentier, Mechanisms of lithospheric extension at mid-ocean ridges, Geophys. J., 96, 1-22, 1989.
51. Lin, J., and J. Phipps Morgan, The spreading rate dependence of three-dimensional mid-ocean ridge gravity structure, Geophys. Res. Lett., 19, 13-16, 1992.
52. Lin, J., G. M. Purdy, H. Schouten, J. C. Sempéré, and C. Zervas, Evidence from gravity data for focused magmatic accretion along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Nature, 344, 627-632, 1990.
53. Madsen, J., Forsyth, D., and R. S. Detrick, A new isostatic model for the East Pacific Rise crest, J.. Geophys. Res., 89, 9997-10015, 1984.
54. Marion, E., Interactions croûte océanique profonde eau de mer dans les gabbros de la zone MARK (Mid-Atlantic Ridge at Kane Fracture Zone), Thèse de l'Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 150 pp., Paris, 1992.
55. McKenzie, D., The generation and compaction of partially molten rock, J. Petrol., 25, 713-765, 1984.
56. McKenzie, D., and C. Bowin, The relationship between bathymetry and gravity in the Atlantic Ocean, J. Geophys. Res., 81, 1903-1915, 1976.
57. Mercier, J. C., and A. Nicolas, Textures and fabrics of upper-mantle peridotites as illustrated by xenoliths from basalts, J. Petrol., 16, 454-487, 1975.
58. Mével, C., M. Cannat, P. Gente, E. Marion, J. M. Auzende, and J. A. Karson, Emplacement of deep rocks on the west Median Valley Wall of the MARK area, Tectonophysics, 190, 31-53, 1991.
59. Meyer, P. S., H. J. B. Dick, and G. Thompson, Cumulate gabbros from the Southwest Indian Ridge, 54°S-7°16'E: Implications for magmatic processes at a slow spreading ridge, Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., 103, 44-63, 1989.
60. Michael, P. J., and E. Bonatti, Peridotite composition from the North Atlantic: Regional and tectonic variations and implications for partial melting, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 73, 91-104, 1985.
61. Miller, D. J., and N. I. Christensen, Velocity behavior of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks from the slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge, south of the Kane fracture zone, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results, 153, 1995.
62. Moody, J. B., Serpentinization: A review, Lithos, 9, 125-138, 1976.
63. Morris, E., and R. S. Detrick, Three-dimensional analysis of gravity anomalies in the MARK area, Mid-Atlantic Ridge 23°N, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 4355-4366, 1991.
64. Muller, M. R., T. A. Minshull, and R. S. White, Crustal thickness at the very slow spreading Southwest Indian Ridge: A constraint on mantle melting at midocean ridges (abstract), Terra Nova, 7, 146, 1995.
65. Mutter, C. Z., and J. C. Mutter, Variations in thickness of layer 3 dominate oceanic crustal structure, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 117, 295-317, 1993.
66. Neuman, G. A., and D. W. Forsyth, The paradox of the axial profile: Isostatic compensation along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 17891-17910, 1993.
67. Nicolas, A., and A. Prinzhofer, Cumulative or residual origin for the transition zone in ophiolites: Structural evidence, J. Petrol., 24, 188-206, 1983.
68. Nicolas, A., I. Reuber, and K. Benn, A new magma chamber model based on structural studies in the Oman Ophiolite, Tectonophysics, 151, 87-105, 1988.
69. Pannentier, E. M., and J. Phipps Morgan, Spreading rate dependence of three-dimensional structure in oceanic spreading centres, Nature, 348, 325-328, 1990.
70. Pearson, W. C., and C. R. B. Lister, The gravity signature of isostatic, thermally-expanded ridge crests, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter., 19, 73-84, 1979.
71. Phipps Morgan, J., and Y. J. Chen, The genesis of oceanic crust: Magma injection, hydrothermal circulation, and crustal flow, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 6283-6297, 1993.
72. Phipps Morgan, J., and D. W. Forsyth, Three-dimensional flow and temperature perturbations due to a transform offset: Effects on oceanic crustal and upper mantle structure, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 2955-2966, 1988.
73. Phipps Morgan, J., E. M. Parmentier, and J. Lin, Mechanisms for the origin of mid-ocean ridge axial topography: Implications for the thermal and mechanical structure of accreting plate boundaries, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 12823-12836, 1987.
74. Purdy, G. M., and R. S. Detrick, Crustal structure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 23°N from seismic refraction studies, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 3739-3762, 1986.
75. Rabinowicz, M., A. Nicolas, J. L. Vigneresse, A rolling mill effect in asthenosphere beneath spreading centers, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 67, 97-108, 1984.
76. Rommevaux, C., C. Deplus, P. Patriat, and J. C. Sempéré, Three-dimensional gravity study of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Evolution of the segmentation between 28° and 29°N during the last 10 my., J. Geophys. Res., 99, 3015-3030, 1994.
77. Ross, K., and D. Elthon, Cumulus and post-cumulus crystallization in the oceanic crust: Major and trace element geochemistry of Leg 153 gabbroic rocks, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Sci. Results. 153, 1995.
78. Rubin, A. M., A comparison of rift-zone tectonics in Iceland and Hawaii, Bull. Volcanol., 52, 302-319, 1990.
79. Ryan, M. P., Neutral buoyancy and the mechanical evolution of magmatic systems, in Magmatic Processes: Physiochemical Principles, edited by B. O. Mysen, Spec. Pub. R. Soc. Chem., 1, 259-287, 1987.
80. Sempéré, J. C., G. M. Purdy, and H. Schouten, Segmentation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 24°N and 30°40'N, Nature, 344, 427-431, 1990.
81. Sempéré, J. C., J. Lin, H. S. Brown, H. Schouten, and G. M. Purdy, Segmentation and morphotectonic variations along a slow-spreading center: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge (24°00'N-30°40'N), Mar. Geophys. Res., 15, 153-200, 1993.
82. Shaw, P. R., and J. Lin, Causes and consequences of variations in faulting style at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, J. Geophys. Res., 98, 21839-21852, 1993.
83. Shipboard Scientific Party, Sites 920 to 924, Proc. Ocean Drilling Program Initial Rep., 153, 45-274, 1995.
84. Sinton, J. M., and R. S. Detrick, Mid-ocean ridge magma chambers, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 197-216, 1992.
85. Sleep, N. H., Formation of ocean crust: Some thermal constraints, J. Geophys. Res., 80, 4037-4042, 1975.
86. Sleep, N. H., and G. A. Barth, The nature of the oceanic lower crust and shallow mantle emplaced at low spreading rates (abstract), EOS Trans. AGU, (44), Fall Meet. Suppl., 75, 626, 1994.
87. Smith, D. K., and J. R. Cann, The role of seamount volcanism in crustal construction at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (24°-30°N), J. Geophys. Res., 97, 1645-1658, 1992.
88. Sotin, C., and E. M. Parmentier, Dynamical consequences of compositional and thermal density stratification beneath spreading centers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 16, 835-838, 1989.
89. Spudich, P., and J. Orcutt, A new look at the seismic velocity structure of the oceanic crust, Rev. Geophys., 18, 627-645, 1980.
90. Tapponnier, P., and J. Francheteau, Necking of the lithosphere and the mechanics of slowly accreting plate boundaries, J. Geophys. Res., 83, 3955-3970, 1978.
91. Tolstoy, M., A. J. Harding, and J. A. Orcutt, Crustal structure on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Bull's-eye gravity anomalies and focused accretion. Science, 262, 726-729, 1993.
92. Toomey, D. R., S. C. Solomon, G. M. Purdy, and M. H. Murray, Microearthquakes beneath the median valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge near 23°N: Tomography and tectonics, J. Geophys. Res., 93, 9093-9112, 1988.
93. Tucholke, B. E., and J. Lin, A geological model for the structure of ridge segments in slow spreading ocean crust, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 11937-11958, 1994.
94. White, R. S., D. McKenzie, and R. K. O'Nions, Oceanic crustal thickness from seismic measurements and rare earth element inversions, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 19683-19715, 1992.
95. Whitehead, J. A., H. J. B. Dick, and H. Scheuten, A mechanism for magmatic accretion under spreading centers. Nature, 312, 146-148, 1984.
96. Wolfe, C. J., G. M. Purdy, D. R. Toomey, and S. C. Solomon, FARA Microearthquake Experiments II: Results from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 29°N (abstract), EOS Trans. AGU, (43), Fall Meet. Suppl., 74, 601, 1993.