Joint seismic-geodynamic-mineral physical modelling of African geodynamics: A reconciliation of deep-mantle convection with surface geophysical constraints

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Volumn 295, Issue 3-4, 2010, Pages 329-341

  Forte, Alessandro M ^a   Quéré, Sandrine ^b   Moucha, Robert ^a   Simmons, Nathan A ^c   Grand, Stephen P ^d   Mitrovica, Jerry X ^e   Rowley, David B ^f  

^a UNIVERSITÉ DU QUÉBEC À MONTRÉAL   (Canada)

^b UTRECHT UNIVERSITY   (Netherlands)

^c LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY   (United States)

^d UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN   (United States)

^e HARVARD UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^f UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO   (United States)

Author keywords

Dynamic topography; Geoid and gravity; Mantle convection; Seismic tomography; Superplumes; Thermochemical buoyancy

Indexed keywords

3-D IMAGE; ASTHENOSPHERIC FLOW; AZIMUTHAL ANISOTROPY; CAMEROON; CANARY ISLANDS; CORE-MANTLE BOUNDARY; DYNAMIC TOPOGRAPHY; FLOW PREDICTION; INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS; LARGE-SCALE FLOWS; LATE CENOZOIC; MANTLE CONVECTION; MANTLE DYNAMICS; MANTLE FLOW; MANTLE STRUCTURE; MINERAL PHYSICS; PHYSICAL MODELLING; RECENT PROGRESS; SEISMIC TOMOGRAPHY; SHEAR WAVE SPLITTING; SUPERPLUMES; SURFACE GRAVITY; THERMAL CONTRIBUTIONS; THERMO-CHEMICAL CONVECTION MODELS;

BUOYANCY; DYNAMICS; FLOW PATTERNS; SEISMOGRAPHS; SILICATE MINERALS; STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY; SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY; THREE DIMENSIONAL; TOMOGRAPHY; TOPOGRAPHY;

SEISMOLOGY;

AFRICAN PLATE; ASTHENOSPHERE; DOME; GEODYNAMICS; GEOID; HETEROGENEITY; MANTLE CONVECTION; MANTLE STRUCTURE; S-WAVE; SEISMIC ANISOTROPY; SEISMIC TOMOGRAPHY; TEMPERATURE ANOMALY; THERMOCHEMISTRY; TOPOGRAPHY; VOLCANISM; WAVE SPLITTING;

AFRICA;

EID: 77953701183     PISSN: 0012821X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2010.03.017     Document Type: Article

References (68)

1. Allegre C.J., Dupré B., Lambret B., Richard P. The subcontinental versus suboceanic debate, 1 Lead-neodymium-strontium isotopes in primary alkali basalts from a shield area the Ahaggar volcanic suite. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 1981, 52:85-92.
2. Barruol G., Ben Ismail W. Upper mantle anisotropy beneath the African IRIS and Geoscope stations. Geophys. J. Int. 2001, 146:549-561.
3. Bastow I.D., Nyblade A.A., Stuart G.W., Rooney T.O., Benoit M.H. Upper mantle seismic structure beneath the Ethiopian hot spot: rifting at the edge of the African low-velocity anomaly. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 2008, 9:Q12022. 10.1029/2008GC002107.
4. Behn M.D., Conrad C.P., Silver P.G. Detection of upper mantle flow associated with the African Superplume. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2004, 224:259-274.
5. Bunge H.P., Richards M.A., Baumgardner J.R. Mantle-circulation models with sequential data assimilation: inferring present-day mantle structures from plate-motion histories. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 2002, 360:2545-2567.
6. Burke K. The African plate. S. Afr. J. Geol. 1996, 99:341-410.
7. Conrad C.P., Gurnis M. Seismic tomography, surface uplift, and the breakup of Gondwanaland: integrating mantle convection backwards in time. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 2003, 3:1031. 10.1029/2001GC000299.
8. Crough S.T. Free-air gravity over the Hoggar massif, northwest Africa: evidence for alteration of the lithosphere. Tectonophysics 1981, 77:189-202.
9. Daradich A., Mitrovica J.X., Pysklywec R.N., Willett S.D., Forte A.M. Mantle flow, dynamic topography, and rift-flank uplift of Arabia. Geology 2003, 31(10):901-904.
10. Davaille A. Simultaneous generation of hotspots and superswells by convection in a heterogeneous planetary mantle. Nature 1999, 402:756-760.
11. Davaille A., Stutzmann E., Silveira G., Besse J., Courtillot V. Convective patterns under the Indo-Atlantic "box". Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2005, 239:233-252.
12. Dziewonski A.M., Anderson D.L. Preliminary reference Earth model. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 1981, 25:297-356.
13. Ebinger C.J., Sleep N.H. Cenozoic magmatism throughout east Africa resulting from impact of a single plume. Nature 1998, 395:788-791.
14. Fishwick S., White N., Al-Hajri Y. Small scale heterogeneity in the uppermost mantle and the dynamic topography on the west coast of Africa. Eos Trans. AGU 2007, 88(52). Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract S11B-0553.
15. Forte A.M. Constraints on seismic models from other disciplines - implications for mantle dynamics and composition. Treatise of Geophysics 2007, 1:805-858. Elsevier, Amsterdam. A.M. Dziewonski, B. Romanowicz (Eds.).
16. Forte A.M. Seismic-geodynamic constraints on mantle flow: implications for layered convection, mantle viscosity, and seismic anisotropy in the deep mantle. AGU Geophys. Monogr. Ser. 2000, 117:3-36. Washington, DC.
17. Forte A.M., Peltier W.R. Viscous flow models of global geophysical observables 1. Forward problems. J. Geophys. Res. 1991, 96:20131-20159.
18. Forte A.M., Perry H.K.C. Geodynamic evidence for a chemically depleted continental tectosphere. Science 2000, 290:1940-1944.
19. Forte A.M., Mitrovica J.X. Deep-mantle high-viscosity flow and thermochemical structure inferred from seismic and geodynamic data. Nature 2001, 410:1049-1056.
20. Forte A.M., Woodward R.L., Dziewonski A.M. Joint inversions of seismic and geodynamic data for models of three-dimensional mantle heterogeneity. J. Geophys. Res. 1994, 99:21857-21877.
21. Forte A.M., Mitrovica J.X., Espesset A. Geodynamic and seismic constraints on the thermochemical structure and dynamics of convection in the deep mantle. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London A 2002, 360:2521-2543.
22. Gaboret C., Forte A.M., Montagner J.P. The unique dynamics of the Pacific Hemisphere mantle and its signature on seismic anisotropy. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2003, 208:219-233.
23. Gashawbeza E.M., Klemperer S.L., Nyblade A.A., Walker K.T., Keranen K.M. Shear-wave Splitting in Ethiopia: Precambrian Mantle Anisotropy Locally Modified by Neogene rifting 2004, 31:L18602. 10.1029/2004GL020471.
24. Grand S.P. Mantle shear-wave tomography and the fate of subducted slabs. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London 2002, A360:2475-2491.
25. Gripp A.E., Gordon R.G. Young tracks of hotspots and current plate velocities. Geophys. J. Int. 2002, 150:321-361.
26. Gurnis M., Mitrovica J.X., Ritsema J., van Heijst H.J. Constraining mantle density structure using geological evidence of surface uplift rates: the case of the African superplume. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 2000, 3:1. Paper number 1999GC000035.
27. Hadiouche O., Jobert N., Montagner J.P. Anisotropy of the African continent inferred from surface waves. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 1989, 58:61-81.
28. Hager B.H., Clayton R.W., Richards M.A., Comer R.P., Dziewonski A.M. Lower mantle heterogeneity, dynamic topography and the geoid. Nature 1985, 313:541-545.
29. Hammond J.O.S., Kendall J.-M., Rumpker G., Wookey J., Teanby N., Joseph P., Ryberg T., Stuart G. Upper mantle anisotropy beneath the Seychelles microcontinent. J. Geophys. Res. 2005, 110(B11401). 10.1029/2005JB003757.
30. Hansen S., Schwartz S., Al-Amri A., Rodgers A. Combined plate motion and density-driven flow in the asthenosphere beneath Saudi Arabia: evidence from shear-wave splitting and seismic anisotropy. Geology 2006, 34:869-872.
31. Hartley R.W., Allen P.A. Interior cratonic basins of Africa: relation to continental break-up and role of mantle convection. Basin Res. 1994, 6:95-113.
32. Hess H.H. Seismic anisotropy of the uppermost mantle under oceans. Nature 1964, 203:629-631.
33. Kaminski E., Ribe N.M. Timescales for the evolution of seismic anisotropy in mantle flow. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst 2002, 3(3(8). 10.1029/2001GC000222.
34. Karato S.-I., Jung H., Katayama I., Skemer P. Geodynamic significance of seismic anisotropy of the upper mantle: new insights from laboratory studies. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 2008, 36:59-95. 10.1146/annurev.earth.36.031207.124120.
35. Kendall J.M., Stuart G.W., Ebinger C.J., Bastow I.D., Keir D. Magma-assisted rifting in Ethiopia. Nature 2005, 433:146-148.
36. King S.D., Ritsema J. African hot spot volcanism: small-scale convection in the upper mantle beneath cratons. Science 2000, 290:1137-1140.
37. Kumagai I., Davaille A., Kurita K., Stutzmann E. Mantle plumes: thin, fat, successful, or failing? Constraints to explain hot spot volcanism through time and space. Geophys. Res. Lett. 2008, 35:L16301. 10.1029/2008GL035079.
38. Lemoine F., Pavlis N., Kenyon S., Rapp R., Pavlis E., Chao B. New high-resolution model developed for Earth's gravitational field. Eos Trans. AGU 1998, 79(9):113.
39. Lithgow-Bertelloni C., Silver P.G. Dynamic topography, plate driving forces and the African superswell. Nature 1998, 395:269-272.
40. McKenzie D.P. Finite deformation during fluid flow. Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 1979, 58:689-715.
41. McNamara A.K., Zhong S. Thermochemical structures beneath Africa and the Pacific Ocean. Nature 2005, 437:1136-1139.
42. Mitrovica J.X. Haskell [1935] revisited. J. Geophys. Res. 1996, 101:555-569.
43. Mitrovica J.X., Forte A.M. A new inference of mantle viscosity based upon joint inversion of convection and glacial isostatic adjustment data. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 2004, 225:177-189.
44. Moucha R., Forte A.M., Rowley D.B., Braun J., Mitrovica J.X., Simmons N.A., Grand S.P. Reconstructing African topography over the past 30Myrs with high-resolution tomography-based convection modelling. Eos Trans. AGU 2009, 90(52). Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract DI32A-02.
45. Moucha R., Forte A.M., Mitrovica J.X., Daradich A. Lateral variations in mantle rheology: implications for convection related surface observables and inferred viscosity models. Geophys. J. Int. 2007, 169:113-135.
46. Ni S.D., Tan E., Gurnis M., Helmberger D.V. Sharp sides to the African superplume. Science 2002, 296:1850-1852.
47. Ni S.D., Helmberger D.V., Tromp T. Three-dimensional structure of the African superplume from waveform modeling. Geophys. J. Int. 2005, 161:283-294.
48. Nyblade A.A., Robinson S.W. The African superswell. Geophys. Res. Lett. 1994, 21:765-768.
49. Poirier J.-P. Creep of Crystals 1985, 274. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
50. Priestley K., McKenzie D., Debayle E. The state of the upper mantle beneath southern Africa. Tectono Physics 2006, 416:101-112.
51. Quéré S., Forte A.M. Influence of past and present-day plate motions on spherical models of mantle convection: implications for mantle plumes and hotspots. Geophys. J. Int. 2006, 165:1041-1057.
52. Quéré S., Rowley D.B., Forte A.M., Moucha R. No-Net-Rotation and Indo-Atlantic hotspot reference frames: towards a new view of tectonic plate motions and Earth dynamics. Eos Trans. AGU 2007, 88(52). Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract U34A-03.
53. Ribe N.M. On the relation between seismic anisotropy and finite strain. J. Geophys. Res. 1992, 97(B6):8737-8747.
54. Richards M.A., Hager B.H. Geoid anomalies in a dynamic Earth. J. Geophys. Res. 1984, 89:5987-6002.
55. Ritsema J., van Heijst H.J., Woodhouse J.H. Complex shear velocity structure imaged beneath Africa and Iceland. Science 1999, 286:1925-1928.
56. Sahagian D.L. Structural evolution of African basins: stratigraphic synthesis. Basin Res. 1993, 5:41-54.
57. Sebai A., Stutzmann E., Montagner J.P., Sicilia D., Beucler E. Anisotropic structure of the African upper mantle from Rayleigh and Love wave tomography. Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 2006, 155:48-62.
58. Silver P.G. Seismic anisotropy beneath the continents: probing the depths of geology. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1996, 24:385-432.
59. Silver P.G., Carlson R.W., Olson P. Deep slabs, geochemical heterogeneity, and the large-scale structure of mantle convection: investigation of an enduring paradox. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1988, 16:477-541.
60. Silver P.G., Gao S.S., Liu K.H. Mantle deformation beneath southern Africa. Geophys. Res. Lett. 2001, 28:2493-2496. Kaapvaal Seismic Group.
61. Simmons, N.A. Mantle heterogeneity and flow from seismic and geodynamic constraints. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, pp. 262 (2007).
62. Simmons N.A., Forte A.M., Grand S.P. Thermochemical structure and dynamics of the African superplume. Geophys. Res. Lett. 2007, 34:L02301. 10.1029/2006GL028009.
63. Simmons N.A., Forte A.M., Grand S.P. Joint seismic, geodynamic and mineral physical constraints on three-dimensional mantle heterogeneity: implications for the relative importance of thermal versus compositional heterogeneity. Geophys. J. Int. 2009, 17(3):1284-1304.
64. Tackley P.J. Three-dimensional simulations of mantle convection with a thermochemical CMB boundary layer: D"?. The Core-Mantle Boundary Region 1998, 28:231-253. AGU, Washington, DC. M. Gurnis, M.E. Wysession, E. Knittle, B.A. Buffett (Eds.).
65. Thorpe R.S., Smith K. Distribution of Cenozoic volcanism in Africa. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 1974, 22:91-95.
66. Vinnik L.P., Green R.W.E., Nicolaysen L.O. Recent deformations of the deep continental root beneath southern Africa. Nature 1995, 375:50-52.
67. Walker K.T., Nyblade A.A., Klemperer S.L., Bokelmann G.H.R., Owens T.J. On the relationship between extension and anisotropy: Constraints from shear wave splitting across the East African Plateau. J. Geophys. Res. 2004, 109(B08302). 10.1029/2003JB002866.
68. Zhang S., Karato S.-I. Lattice preferred orientation of olivine aggregates deformed in simple shear. Nature 1995, 375:774-777.