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Exhumed Mantle
Exhumed mantle is formed when Earth's mantle rocks are exhumed by extensional tectonics such that they appear at the seabed. This occurs in two main settings, either during seafloor spreading during the formation of oceanic core complexes, or during the rifting apart of continental crust during break-up on non-volcanic passive margins. Oceanic core complexes In normal rates of seafloor spreading, the space created by rifting along a mid-ocean ridge is filled by magma, forming the standard oceanic crust, with a central magma chamber, crystallising out as gabbros and utramafic cumulates, feeding volcanic rocks (typically pillow lavas) via systems of dykes. Such oceanic crust matches layers 2 nd 3 of the classic ophiolite stratigraphy. Where spreading rates are intermediate or slow to ultraslow, magma does not necessarily reach the surface and extension involves detachment faulting in which mantle rocks in the fault footwall become exhumed at the seabed forming structures called "m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earth's Mantle
Earth's mantle is a layer of silicate mineral, silicate rock between the Earth's crust, crust and the Earth's outer core, outer core. It has a mass of and makes up 67% of the mass of Earth. It has a thickness of making up about 46% of Earth's radius and 84% of Earth's volume. It is predominantly solid but, on geologic time scales, it behaves as a viscosity, viscous fluid, sometimes described as having the consistency of caramel. Partial melting of the mantle at mid-ocean ridges produces oceanic crust, and partial melting of the mantle at subduction zones produces continental crust. Structure Rheology Earth's upper mantle is divided into two major rheology, rheological layers: the rigid lithosphere comprising the uppermost mantle (the lithospheric mantle), and the more ductile asthenosphere, separated by the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere boundary, lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. Lithosphere underlying ocean crust has a thickness of around , whereas lithosphere underlying cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillow Lava
Pillow lavas are lavas that contain characteristic pillow-shaped structures that are attributed to the extrusion of the lava underwater, or ''subaqueous extrusion''. Pillow lavas in volcanic rock are characterized by thick sequences of discontinuous pillow-shaped masses, commonly up to one meter in diameter. They form the upper part of Oceanic_crust#Composition, Layer 2 of normal oceanic crust. Composition Pillow lavas are commonly of basaltic composition, although pillows formed of komatiite, picrite, boninite, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite or even rhyolite are known. In general, the more felsic the composition (richer in silica - resulting in an Intermediate composition), the larger the pillows, due to the increase in viscosity of the erupting lava. Occurrence They occur wherever lava is extruded underwater, such as along marine hotspot (geology), hotspot volcano chains and the Divergent boundary, constructive plate boundaries of mid-ocean ridges. As new oceanic crust is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sheeted Dyke Complex
A sheeted dyke complex, or sheeted dike complex, is a series of sub-parallel intrusions of igneous rock, forming a layer within the oceanic crust. At mid-ocean ridges, dykes are formed when magma beneath areas of tectonic plate divergence travels through a fracture in the earlier formed oceanic crust, feeding the lavas above and cooling below the seafloor forming upright columns of igneous rock. Magma continues to cool, as the existing seafloor moves away from the area of divergence, and additional magma is intruded and cools. In some tectonic settings slices of the oceanic crust are obducted (emplaced) upon continental crust, forming an ophiolite. Geometry The individual dykes typically range in thickness from a few centimetres to a few metres. Most of the dykes show evidence of one-sided chilled margins, consistent with most dykes having been split by later dykes. It is also common for the chilled margins to be consistently on one side, suggesting that most dykes in any one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpine Orogeny
The Alpine orogeny, sometimes referred to as the Alpide orogeny, is an orogenic phase in the Late Mesozoic and the current Cenozoic which has formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt. Cause The Alpine orogeny was caused by the African continent, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, and the Cimmerian plate colliding with Eurasia in the north. Convergent movements between the African, Arabian and Indian plates from the south, and the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate from the north – as well as many smaller (micro)plates – had already begun during the early Cretaceous, but the major phases of mountain building began during the Paleocene to the Eocene. The process continues currently in some of the Alpide mountain ranges. The Alpine orogeny is considered one of the three major phases of orogeny in Europe that define the geology of that continent, along with the Caledonian orogeny that formed the Old Red Sandstone Continent when the continents ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sedimentary Rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedimentation is any process that causes these particles to settle in place. Geological detritus originates from weathering and erosion of existing rocks, or from the solidification of molten lava blobs erupted by volcanoes. The geological detritus is transported to the place of deposition by water, wind, ice or Mass wasting, mass movement, which are called agents of denudation. Biological detritus is formed by bodies and parts (mainly shells) of dead aquatic organisms, as well as their fecal mass, suspended in water and slowly piling up on the floor of water bodies (marine snow). Sedimentation may also occur when dissolved minerals precipitate from aqueous solution, water solution. The sedimentary rock cover of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Serpentinized
Serpentinite is a metamorphic rock composed predominantly of serpentine group minerals formed by serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. The ancient origin of the name is uncertain; it may be from the similarity of its texture or color to snake skin. Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides (AD 50) recommended this rock to prevent snakebite. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''serpentine rock'', particularly in older geological texts and in wider cultural settings.California Government Code § 425.2; ''see'' Most of the chemical reactions necessary to synthesize acetyl-CoA, essential to basic biochemical pathways of life, take place during serpentinization. Serpentinite thermal vents are therefore considered a candidate for the origin of life on Earth. Formation and mineralogy Serpentinite is formed by near to complete serpentinization of mafic or ultramafic rocks. Serpentinite is formed from mafic rock that is hydrated by carbon dioxide-deficient sea water t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ocean Drilling Program
The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) was part of an international project to explore and study the composition and structure of Earth's oceanic basins. This collaborative effort spanned multiple decades and produced comprehensive data that improved understanding of oceanic processes and advanced several fields in Earth science. Ocean Drilling History Ocean drilling first began with Project Mohole, a United States effort to drill into Earth's crust in 1957. At the time, there was little scientific understanding about oceanic and geologic processes, such as a lack of knowledge of plate tectonics. While this project was brief due to a lack of funding, it gave insights into these processes and sparked public interest in ocean drilling and its associated discoveries. Following this preliminary project, several countries came together to contribute to a series of three ocean drilling projects that took place over forty years. First was the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP), which took pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reflection Seismology
Reflection seismology (or seismic reflection) is a method of exploration geophysics that uses the principles of seismology to estimate the properties of the Earth's subsurface from reflection (physics), reflected seismic waves. The method requires a controlled seismic source of energy, such as dynamite or Tovex blast, a specialized Seismic source#Air gun, air gun or a seismic vibrator. Reflection seismology is similar to sonar and acoustic location, echolocation. History Reflections and refractions of seismic waves at geologic Interface (matter), interfaces within the Earth were first observed on recordings of earthquake-generated seismic waves. The basic model of the Earth's deep interior is based on observations of earthquake-generated seismic waves transmitted through the Earth's interior (e.g., Mohorovičić, 1910). The use of human-generated seismic waves to map in detail the geology of the upper few kilometers of the Earth's crust followed shortly thereafter and has deve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithosphere
A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of up to thousands of years or more. The crust and upper mantle are distinguished on the basis of chemistry and mineralogy. Earth's lithosphere Earth's lithosphere, which constitutes the hard and rigid outer vertical layer of the Earth, includes the crust and the lithospheric mantle (or mantle lithosphere), the uppermost part of the mantle that is not convecting. The layer below the lithosphere is called the asthenosphere, which is the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle that is able to convect. The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress. The lithosphere remains rigid for very long periods of geologic time in which it deforms elastically and through brittle f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithospheric
A lithosphere () is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the lithospheric mantle, the topmost portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of up to thousands of years or more. The crust and upper mantle are distinguished on the basis of chemistry and mineralogy. Earth's lithosphere Earth's lithosphere, which constitutes the hard and rigid outer vertical layer of the Earth, includes the crust and the lithospheric mantle (or mantle lithosphere), the uppermost part of the mantle that is not convecting. The layer below the lithosphere is called the asthenosphere, which is the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle that is able to convect. The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress. The lithosphere remains rigid for very long periods of geologic time in which it deforms elastically and through brittle failure, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ductility (Earth Science)
In Earth science, ductility refers to the capacity of a rock (geology), rock to deform to large strains without macroscopic fracturing. Such behavior may occur in unlithified or poorly Diagenesis#Lithification, lithified sediments, in weak materials such as halite or at greater depths in all rock types where higher temperatures promote dislocation creep, crystal plasticity and higher overburden pressure, confining pressures suppress brittle fracture. In addition, when a material is behaving ductilely, it exhibits a linear Stress (mechanics), stress vs Deformation (mechanics), strain relationship past the elastic limit. Ductile deformation is typically characterized by diffuse deformation (i.e. lacking a discrete fault (geology), fault plane) and on a Stress–strain curve, stress-strain plot is accompanied by steady state sliding at failure, compared to the sharp stress drop observed in experiments during Brittleness, brittle failure. Brittle–ductile transition zone The britt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Detachment Fault
A detachment fault is a gently dipping normal fault associated with large-scale extensional tectonics. Detachment faults often have very large displacements (tens of km) and juxtapose unmetamorphosed hanging walls against medium to high-grade metamorphic footwalls that are called metamorphic core complexes. They are thought to have formed as either initially low-angle structures or by the rotation of initially high-angle normal faults modified also by the isostatic effects of tectonic denudation. They may also be called denudation faults. Examples of detachment faulting include: *The Snake Range detachment system of the Basin and Range Province of western North America which was active during the Miocene *The Nordfjord-Sogn detachment of western Norway active during the Devonian Period *The Whipple detachment in southeastern California Detachment faults have been found on the sea floor close to divergent plate boundaries characterised by a limited supply of upwelling magma, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
