Magma-induced tectonics at the East Pacific Rise 9°50'N: Evidence from high-resolution characterization of seafloor and subseafloor

At fast-spreading centers, faults develop within the axial summit trough (AST; 0 to 250 m around the axis) primarily by diking-induced deformation originating from the axial magma lens (AML). The formation of the prominent abyssal-hill-bounding faults beyond the axial high (>2,000 m) is typically associated with the unbending of the lithosphere as it cools and spreads away from the AST. The presence of faults is rarely mapped between these two thermally distinct zones, where the lithosphere is still too hot for the faults to be linked with the process of thermal cooling and outside of the AST where the accretional diking process dominates the ridge axis. Here, we reveal a remarkable vertical alignment between the distinct morphological features of the magma body and the orientation of these faults, by comparison of 3-D seismic imagery and bathymetry data collected at the East Pacific Rise (EPR) 9°50'N. The spatial coincidence and asymmetric nucleation mode of the mapped faults represent the most direct evidence for magmatically induced faulting near the ridge axis, providing pathways for hydrothermalism and magma emplacement, helping to build the crust outside of the AST. The high-resolution seafloor and subsurface images also enable revised tectonic strain estimates, which shows that the near-axis tectonic component of seafloor spreading at the EPR is an order of magnitude smaller than previously thought with close to negligible contribution of lava buried faults to spreading.

An Equivalent Pipe Network Modeling Approach for Characterizing Fluid Flow through Three-Dimensional Fracture Networks: Verification and Applications

The equivalent pipe network (EPN) model is an effective way to model fluid flow in large-scale fractured rock masses with a complex fracture network due to its straightforwardness and computational efficiency. This study presents the EPN model for characterizing fluid flow through three-dimensional fracture networks using the Monte-Carlo method. The EPN model is extracted from an original three-dimensional discrete fracture network (DFN) model and is used to simulate the fluid flow processes. The validity of the proposed EPN modeling approach is verified via the comparisons of permeability (k) with analytical solutions and simulation results reported in the literature. The results show that the numerically calculated k using EPN models agrees well with the analytical values of simplified DFN models and the simulation results of complex DFN models. The k increases following an exponential function with the increment of mean length of exponentially distributed fractures (u), which is strongly correlated with fracture density (P32) and average intersection length (Li). The P32 increases in an exponential way with the increment of u. The Li increases as u increases, following a power-law function. The increment of u leads to the increment of a number of long fractures in three-dimensional DFN models. A larger u results in a denser fracture network and a stronger conductivity when the number and length distribution range of fractures remain the same. The representative elementary volumes (REVs) of three-dimensional DFN models with u = 9 m and P32 = 0.4 m2/m3 are determined as 2.36 × 104 m3, 9.16 × 103 m3, and 1.26 × 104 m3 in 3 flow directions, respectively.

Charon tectonics

New Horizons images of Pluto's companion Charon show a variety of terrains that display extensional tectonic features, with relief surprising for this relatively small world. These features suggest a global extensional areal strain of order 1% early in Charon's history. Such extension is consistent with the presence of an ancient global ocean, now frozen.

Response to Comment on "Sensitivity of seafloor bathymetry to climate-driven fluctuations in mid-ocean ridge magma supply"

Tolstoy reports the existence of a characteristic 100 thousand year (ky) period in the bathymetry of fast-spreading seafloor but does not argue that sea level change is a first-order control on seafloor morphology worldwide. Upon evaluating the overlap between tectonic and Milankovitch periodicities across spreading rates, we reemphasize that fast-spreading ridges are the best potential recorders of a sea level signature in seafloor bathymetry.

Response to Comment on "Sensitivity of seafloor bathymetry to climate-driven fluctuations in mid-ocean ridge magma supply"

Huybers et al present new bathymetric spectra from an intermediate-spreading ridge as evidence for a primary contribution of sea level cycles to the morphology of the seafloor. Although we acknowledge the possibility that sea level-modulated magmatic constructions may be superimposed on a first-order tectonic fabric, we emphasize the difficulty of deciphering these different contributions in the frequency domain alone.

Sensitivity of seafloor bathymetry to climate-driven fluctuations in mid-ocean ridge magma supply

Recent studies have proposed that the bathymetric fabric of the seafloor formed at mid-ocean ridges records rapid (23,000 to 100,000 years) fluctuations in ridge magma supply caused by sealevel changes that modulate melt production in the underlying mantle. Using quantitative models of faulting and magma emplacement, we demonstrate that, in fact, seafloor-shaping processes act as a low-pass filter on variations in magma supply, strongly damping fluctuations shorter than about 100,000 years. We show that the systematic decrease in dominant seafloor wavelengths with increasing spreading rate is best explained by a model of fault growth and abandonment under a steady magma input. This provides a robust framework for deciphering the footprint of mantle melting in the fabric of abyssal hills, the most common topographic feature on Earth.

A sea-floor spreading event captured by seismometers

Two-thirds of Earth's surface is formed at mid-ocean ridges, yet sea-floor spreading events are poorly understood because they occur far beneath the ocean surface. At 9 degrees 50'N on the East Pacific Rise, ocean-bottom seismometers recently recorded the microearthquake character of a mid-ocean ridge eruption, including precursory activity. A gradual ramp-up in activity rates since seismic monitoring began at this site in October 2003 suggests that eruptions may be forecast in the fast-spreading environment. The pattern culminates in an intense but brief (approximately 6-hour) inferred diking event on 22 January 2006, followed by rapid tapering to markedly decreased levels of seismicity.

Bending-related faulting and mantle serpentinization at the Middle America trench

The dehydration of subducting oceanic crust and upper mantle has been inferred both to promote the partial melting leading to arc magmatism and to induce intraslab intermediate-depth earthquakes, at depths of 50-300 km. Yet there is still no consensus about how slab hydration occurs or where and how much chemically bound water is stored within the crust and mantle of the incoming plate. Here we document that bending-related faulting of the incoming plate at the Middle America trench creates a pervasive tectonic fabric that cuts across the crust, penetrating deep into the mantle. Faulting is active across the entire ocean trench slope, promoting hydration of the cold crust and upper mantle surrounding these deep active faults. The along-strike length and depth of penetration of these faults are also similar to the dimensions of the rupture area of intermediate-depth earthquakes.

Continuous mantle melt supply beneath an overlapping spreading center on the East Pacific Rise

Tomographic images of upper mantle velocity structure beneath an overlapping spreading center (OSC) on the East Pacific Rise indicate that this ridge axis discontinuity is underlain by a continuous region of low P-wave velocities. The anomalous structure can be explained by an approximately 16-kilometer-wide region of high temperatures and melt fractions of a few percent by volume. Our results show that OSCs are not necessarily associated with a discontinuity in melt supply and that both OSC limbs are supplied with melt from a mantle source located beneath the OSC. We conclude that tectonic segmentation of the ridge by OSCs is not the direct result of magmatic segmentation at mantle depths.