Search results for " rock"
showing 10 items of 847 documents
Influence of pre-existing salt diapirs on 3D folding patterns
2014
Abstract The 3D detachment folding instability gives rise to a wide variety of fold shapes (e.g. from dome shape structures to long en-echelon or straight anticlines) as a result of interactions between growing fold segments. The 3D growth of these folds, as well as the wavelength and lateral propagation of folds, is controlled by the physical parameters of a detachment layer and its overburden. However, the existence of initial heterogeneities, such as pre-existing salt plugs within the sedimentary cover, might affect fold development as well. We use numerical modeling to investigate how the fold pattern is affected by pre-existing salt structures. High-resolution 3D folding simulations (w…
Subduction or sagduction? Ambiguity in constraining the origin of ultramafic–mafic bodies in the Archean crust of NW Scotland
2016
Abstract The Lewisian Complex of NW Scotland is a fragment of the North Atlantic Craton. It comprises mostly Archean tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) orthogneisses that were variably metamorphosed and reworked in the late Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic. Within the granulite facies central region of the mainland Lewisian Complex, discontinuous belts composed of ultramafic–mafic rocks and structurally overlying garnet–biotite gneiss (brown gneiss) are spatially associated with steeply-inclined amphibolite facies shear zones that have been interpreted as terrane boundaries. Interpretation of the primary chemical composition of these rocks is complicated by partial melting and melt loss…
Boulder coastal deposits at Favignana Island rocky coast (Sicily, Italy): Litho-structural and hydrodynamic control
2018
Boulders are frequently dislodged from rock platforms, transported and deposited along coastal zones by high-magnitude storm waves or tsunamis. Their size and shape are often controlled by the thickness of bedding planes as well as by high-angle to bedding fracture network. We investigate these processes along two coastal areas of Favignana Island by integrating geological data for 81 boulders, 49 rupture surfaces (called sockets) and fracture orientation and spacing with four radiocarbon dates, numerical hydrodynamic analysis, and hindcast numerical simulation data. Boulders are scattered along the carbonate platform as isolated blocks or in small groups, which form, as a whole, a disconti…
A roadmap for amphibious drilling at the Campi Flegrei caldera: insights from a MagellanPlus workshop
2019
Large calderas are among the Earth's major volcanic features. They are associated with large magma reservoirs and elevated geothermal gradients. Caldera-forming eruptions result from the withdrawal and collapse of the magma chambers and produce large-volume pyroclastic deposits and later-stage deformation related to post-caldera resurgence and volcanism. Unrest episodes are not always followed by an eruption; however, every eruption is preceded by unrest. The Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc), located along the eastern Tyrrhenian coastline in southern Italy, is close to the densely populated area of Naples. It is one of the most dangerous volcanoes on Earth and represents a key example of an acti…
Multiple intrusive phases in the Leinster Batholith, Ireland: geochronology, isotope geochemistry and constraints on the deformation history
2017
The formation of granite batholiths, commonly by incremental assembly of small magma batches, and their correlation with tectonic events, on both local and regional scales, is crucial to understanding the evolution of the Earth9s continental crust. However, these correlations often rely on assumptions about the detailed relationship and timing of mapped units. Here we report how an integrated geochronological, structural and isotope geochemical study in only one key locality from the late Caledonian Leinster Batholith in SE Ireland provides the potential for unravelling essential questions on batholith petrogenesis. The Northern Unit of the Leinster Batholith intruded incrementally, as demo…
A geological field trip to the Côte d'Ivoire-Ghana transform margin
1998
Abstract During the Equanaute survey (June 1992), fourteen submersible dives were performed between 4950 and 2250 m water depths across the southern slope of the Cote d'Ivoire-Ghana Marginal Ridge (CIGMR), in the eastern Equatorial Atlantic. The CIGMR, a high-standing topographic marginal ridge along the Cote d'Ivoire-Ghana transform margin, is believed to result from a complex structural evolution due to the specific wrench-related rifting between Western Equatorial Africa and Northeastern Brazil, in Early Cretaceous times. In this paper we report and discuss geological observations made during dives, and sample analyses to resolve the lithology, paleoenvironmental conditions, age and orig…
Apparent boudinage in dykes
2004
Intrusive rocks may be arranged in the form of strings of lenses or beads, as found on the Cap de Creus Peninsula, NE Spain, and in the South Finland Migmatite-Granite Belt. These structures first appear to be the result of stretching and boudinage of intrusive sheets or dykes. However, closer examination reveals that they are not boudins, but are instead primary intrusive structures. A detailed study was performed on a swarm of pegmatite intrusions at Cap de Creus. Layering is often continuous between beads, and, in some cases, individual beads exhibit a very irregular shape. These observations are shown to be incompatible with an origin by boudinage. Analogue experiments were used to test…
Linking tephrochronology and soil characteristics in the Sila and Nebrodi mountains, Italy
2017
Recent studies have demonstrated that soils formed on pyroclastic ash deposits are much more common in the Mediterranean area than previously assumed. These soils are an important key to understanding past volcanic events and landscape evolution. Chronological information in soils of Quaternary volcanic events, however, remains still poorly understood in southern Italy. Using a multi-method forensic approach, we explore the origin and age of volcanic deposits (soils) in Sicily and Calabria. The geochemical signature of the soil was compared to the chemical fingerprint of the magmas of potential source areas of southern Italian volcanoes. The results indicate that the investigated soils on t…
Interpretation of the nitrogen isotopic composition of Precambrian sedimentary rocks: Assumptions and perspectives
2016
International audience; Nitrogen isotope compositions in sedimentary rocks (d(15)N(sed)) are routinely used for reconstructing Cenozoic N-biogeochemical cycling and are also being increasingly applied to understanding the evolution of ancient environments. Here we review the existing knowledge and rationale behind the use of d(15)N(sed) as a proxy for the Precambrian N-biogeochemical cycle with the aims of (i) identifying the major uncertainties that affect analyses and interpretation of nitrogen isotopes in ancient sedimentary rocks, (ii) developing a framework for interpreting the Precambrian d(15)N(sed) record, (iii) testing this framework against a database of Precambrian d(15)N(sed) va…
Ocean Acidification and the End-Permian Mass Extinction: To What Extent does Evidence Support Hypothesis?
2012
International audience; Ocean acidification in modern oceans is linked to rapid increase in atmospheric CO 2 , raising concern about marine diversity, food security and ecosystem services. Proxy evidence for acidification during past crises may help predict future change, but three issues limit confidence of comparisons between modern and ancient ocean acidification, illustrated from the end-Permian extinction, 252 million years ago: (1) problems with evidence for ocean acidification preserved in sedimentary rocks, where proposed marine dissolution surfaces may be subaerial. Sedimentary evidence that the extinction was partly due to ocean acidification is therefore inconclusive; (2) Fossils…