ALBERT

Description: Vulcano is one of the seven volcanic islands composing the Aeolian Islands archipelago (Southern Italy), which also includes three other active volcanoes. The island was orig-inally a stratovolcano like Stromboli; afterwards, its shape turned towards a complex structure composed of several volcanic landforms of different sizes. This is due to the great variability of the tectonic and volcanic phenomena, presently showing a volcano made by two calderas, a lava dome complex and two small active cones. The largest of them is the tuff cone of La Fossa, hosted in the middle of a 3- km-wide caldera struc-ture (La Fossa caldera), whose borders are visible on the southern and western sides of the island. Its last eruption occurred in 1888–1890. At present, Vulcano is charac-terized by weak shallow seismicity and intense fumarolic activity mainly concentrated within the crater of the La Fossa cone and along its rims during a recent unrest phase started in 2021, and measured with a multiparametric monitoring network.

Description: Published

Description: 471-487

Description: OSV4: Preparazione alle crisi vulcaniche

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Mt Etna has made headlines over the last weeks and months with spectacular eruptions, some of them highly explosive. This type of paroxysmal eruptive behaviour is characteristic of Etna’s activity over the past few decades and so it is no surprise that Etna is among the most active volcanoes worldwide. Etna is well-known for its extraordinary geology and due to its repeated eruptive activity it provides a continuous supply of new scientific opportunities to understand the inner workings of large basaltic volcanic systems. In addition to its scientific value, Etna is also a world famous tourist attraction and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013 for its geological and cultural value and not least for its fine agricultural products. Etna’s status as an iconic volcano is not a recent phenomenon; in fact, Etna has been a literary fixture for at least 3000 years, giving rise to many ancient myths and legends that mark it as a special place, deserving of human respect. From the ancient eruptions to the latest events in February–April 2021, people try to explain and understand the processes that occur within and beneath the volcano. In this article, we briefly summarize the recent eruptive activity of Etna as well as the ancient myths and legends that surround this volcano, from the underground forge of Hephaestus to the adventures of Odysseus, all the way to the benefits and dangers the volcano provides to those living on its flanks today.

Description: Published

Description: 141-149

Description: 2TM. Divulgazione Scientifica

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: Silicic calderas are volcanic systems whose unrest evolution is more unpredictable than other volcano types because they often do not culminate in an eruption. Their complex structure strongly influences the post-collapse volcano-tectonic evolution, usually coupling volcanism and ground deformation. Among such volcanoes, the Campi Flegrei caldera (southern Italy) is one of the most studied. Significant long- and short-term ground deformations characterize this restless volcano. Several studies performed on the marinecontinental succession exposed in the central sector of the Campi Flegrei caldera provided a reconstruction of ground deformation during the last 15 kyr. However, considering that over one-third of the caldera is presently submerged beneath the Pozzuoli Gulf, a comprehensive stratigraphic on-land-offshore framework is still lacking. This study aims at reconstructing the offshore succession through analysis of high-resolution single and multichannel reflection seismic profiles and correlates the resulting seismic stratigraphic framework with the stratigraphy reconstructed on-land. Results provide new clues on the causative relations between the intra-caldera marine and volcaniclastic sedimentation and the alternating phases of marine transgressions and regressions originated by the interplay between ground deformation and sea-level rise. The volcano-tectonic reconstruction, provided in this work, connects the major caldera floor movements to the large Plinian eruptions of Pomici Principali (12 ka) and Agnano Monte Spina (4.55 ka), with the onset of the first post-caldera doming at ~10.5 ka. We emphasize that ground deformation is usually coupled with volcanic activity, which shows a self-similar pattern, regardless of its scale. Thus, characterizing the long-term deformation history becomes of particular interest and relevance for hazard assessment and definition of future unrest scenarios.

Description: Published

Description: 855-882

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: We use observations from novel biogeochemical profiling floats deployed by the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling program to estimate annual net community production (ANCP; associated with carbon export) from the seasonal drawdown of mesopelagic oxygen and surface nitrate in the Southern Ocean. Our estimates agree with previous observations in showing an increase in ANCP in the vicinity of the polar front (∼3 mol C m−2 y−1), compared to lower rates in the subtropical zone (≤ 1 mol C m−2 y−1) and the seasonal ice zone (〈2 mol C m−2 y−1). Paradoxically, the increase in ANCP south of the subtropical front is associated with elevated surface nitrate and silicate concentrations, but decreasing surface iron. We hypothesize that iron limitation promotes silicification in diatoms, which is evidenced by the low silicate to nitrate ratio of surface waters around the Antarctic polar front. High diatom silicification increases the ballasting effect of particulate organic carbon and overall ANCP in this region. A model-based assessment of our methods shows a good agreement between ANCP estimates based on oxygen and nitrate drawdown and the modeled downward organic carbon flux at 100 m. This agreement supports the presumption that net biological consumption is the dominant process affecting the drawdown of these chemical tracers and that, given sufficient data, ANCP can be inferred from observations of oxygen and/or nitrate drawdown in the Southern Ocean.

Description: Mixed‐mode fluid‐filled cracks represent a common means of fluid transport within the Earth's crust. They often show complex propagation paths which may be due to interaction with crustal heterogeneities or heterogeneous crustal stress. Previous experimental and numerical studies focus on the interplay between fluid over-pressure and external stress but neglect the effect of other crack parameters. In this study, we address the role of crack length on the propagation paths in the presence of an external heterogeneous stress field. We make use of numerical simulations of magmatic dike and hydrofracture propagation, carried out using a two‐dimensional boundary element model, and analogue experiments of air‐filled crack propagation into a transparent gelatin block. We use a 3‐D finite element model to compute the stress field acting within the gelatin block and perform a quantitative comparison between 2‐D numerical simulations and experiments. We show that, given the same ratio between external stress and fluid pressure, longer fluid‐filled cracks are less sensitive to the background stress, and we quantify this effect on fluid‐filled crack paths. Combining the magnitude of the external stress, the fluid pressure, and the crack length, we define a new parameter, which characterizes two end member scenarios for the propagation path of a fluid‐filled fracture. Our results have important implications for volcanological studies which aim to address the problem of complex trajectories of magmatic dikes (i.e., to forecast scenarios of new vents opening at volcanoes) but also have implications for studies that address the growth and propagation of natural and induced hydrofractures.

Description: Published

Description: 2064–2081

Description: 2V. Struttura e sistema di alimentazione dei vulcani

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Archaeological exavations,undertaken since 2004 for the construction of the new Naples subway

Description: Published

Description: 542-557

Description: 1V. Storia eruttiva

Description: JCR Journal

Description: Some researchers view radon emissions as a precursor to earthquakes, especially those of high magnitude [e.g., Wang et al., 2014; Lombardi and Voltattorni, 2010], but the debate in the scientific community about the applicability of the gas to surveillance systems remains open. Yet radon “works” at Italy’s Mount Etna, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, although not specifically as a precursor to earthquakes. In a broader sense, this naturally radioactive gas from the decay of uranium in the soil, which has been analyzed at Etna in the past few years, acts as a tracer of eruptive activity and also, in some cases, of seismic–tectonic phenomena. To deepen the understanding of tectonic and eruptive phenomena at Etna, scientists analyzed radon escaping from the ground and compared those data with measurements gathered continuously by instrumental networks on the volcano. Here Etna is a boon to scientists—it’s traced by roads, making it easy to access for scientific observation. Dense monitoring networks, managed by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Catania–Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE), have been continuously observing the volcano for more than 40 years. This continuous dense monitoring made the volcano the perfect open-air laboratory for deciphering how eruptive activity may influence radon emissions.

Description: This work was supported by the Mediterranean Supersite Volcanoes (MED-SUV) project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement 308665.

Description: Published

Description: 7

Description: 4V. Processi pre-eruttivi

Description: N/A or not JCR

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution December 1996

Description: Two-thirds of the surface of the Earth is created at mid-ocean ridges where magmas rise from the mantle and cool to form the oceanic crust. The objective of this Thesis is to examine the influence of magma supply and eruptive processes on axial morphology, crustal construction, and the properties of crustal magma chambers at intermediate and fast spreading ridges. Variations in magma supply on time scales of ~100 Kyr generate along-axis changes in crustal thickness and temperature. Magma sill properties and hydrothermal activity are closely linked to spreading events which occur on much shorter time scales (ca. 10-100 yr) than the longer-term variations in magma supply reflected in along-axis changes in ridge morphology. The seismically constrained depths of ridge crest magma sills (〉1-2 km) are considerably deeper than the level of neutral buoyancy (100-400 m). The apparent inverse relationship between magma sill depth and spreading rate suggests that a thermally controlled permeability boundary, such as the solidus horizon, controls the depth at which magma ponds beneath mid-ocean ridges. Recent thermo-mechanical models predict that, at intermediate spreading rates, rift valley and magma sill formation are sensitive to small changes in crustal thickness and mantle temperature. Analysis of gravity at an intermediate spreading ridge shows that small differences in crustal thickness (300-700 m) and mantle temperature (10-15°C) are indeed sufficient to produce major changes in lithospheric strength and axial morphology. A stochastic model for the emplacement of dikes and lava flows with a bimodal distribution of lava flows is required to satisfy geological and geophysical constraints on the construction of the extrusive section. Most dikes are intruded within a narrow zone at the ridge axis. Short flows build up approximately half the extrusive volume. Occasional flows that pond at a considerable distance off-axis build up the remainder of the extrusive section. This Thesis underlines the importance of eruption dynamics in the emplacement of the uppermost volcanic layer of the crust and of the crustal thermal structure in controlling local variations in magma sill depth and ridge morphology.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 1996

Description: We analyze bathymetric and gravity anomalies at five plume-ridge systems to constrain crustal and mantle density structure at these prominent oceanic features. Numerical models are then used to explore the physical mechanisms controlling plume-ridge interaction and to place theoretical constraints on the temperature anomalies, dimensions, and fluxes of the Icelandic and Galapagos plumes. In Chapter 1 we analyze bathymetric and gravity anomalies along the hotspot-influenced Galapagos Spreading Center. We find that the Galapagos plume generates along-axis bathymetric and mantle-Bouguer gravity anomalies (MBA) that extend 〉500 km east and west of the Galapagos Islands. The along-axis MBA becomes increasingly negative towards the plume center, reaching a minimum of ~-90 mGal near 91°W, and axial topography shallows by ~1.1 km toward the plume. These variations in MBA and bathymetry are attributed to the combined effects of crustal thickening and anomalously low mantle densities, both of which are due to a mantle temperature anomaly imposed beneath the ridge by the Galapagos plume. Passive mantle flow models predict a temperature anomaly of 50±25°C is sufficient to produce the 2-4 km excess crust required to explain the along-axis anomalies. 70-75% of the along-axis bathymetric and MBA variations are estimated to arise from the crust with the remaining 25-30% generated by the anomalously hot, thus low-density mantle. Along Cocos-plate isochrons, bathymetric and MBA variations increase with increasing isochron age, suggesting the subaxial mantle temperature anomaly was greater in the past when the plume was closer, to the ridge axis. In addition to the Galapagos plume-ridge system, in Chapter 2 we examine alongisochron bathymetric and MBA variations at four other plume-ridge systems associated with the Iceland, Azores, Easter and Tristan hotspots. We show that residual bathymetry (up to 4.7 km) and mantle-Bouguer gravity anomalies (up to -340 mGal) are greatest at on-axis plumes and decreases with increasing ridge-hotspot separation distance, until becoming insignificant at a plume-ridge separation of ~500 km. Along-isochron widths of bathymetric anomalies (up to 2700 km) decrease with increasing paleo-spreading rate, reflecting the extent to which plume material flows along-axis before being swept away by the spreading lithosphere. Scaling arguments suggest an average ridgeward plume flux of -2.2x106 km/my. Assuming that the amplitudes of the MBA and bathymetric anomalies reflect crustal thickness and mantle density variations, passive mantle flow models predict maximum subaxial mantle temperature anomalies to be 150-225°C for ridge-center plumes, which decrease as the ridges migrate away from the plumes. The dynamics of mantle flow and melting at ridge-centered plumes are investigated in Chapters 3 using three-dimensional, variable-viscosity, numerical models. Three buoyancy sources are examined: temperature, melt depletion, and melt retention. The width W to which a plume spreads along a ridge axis depends on plume volume flux Q, full spreading rate U, buoyancy number B = (QΔρg)/(48η0U2), and ambient/plume viscosity contrast ϒ according to W=2.37(Q/U)l/2(Bϒ)0.04. Thermal buoyancy is first order in controlling along-axis plume spreading while latent heat loss due to melting, and depletion and retention buoyancy forces contribute second order effects. Two end-member models of the Iceland-Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) system are examined. The first endmember model has a broad plume source of radius 300 km, temperature anomaly of 75°C, and volume flux of 1.2xl07 km3/my. The second model has a narrower plume source of radius 60 km, temperature anomaly of l70°C, and flux of 2.1 x106 km3/my. The first model predicts successfully the observed crustal thickness, topographic, and MBA variations along the MAR, but the second model requires substantial along-axis melt transport in order to explain the observed along-axis variations in crustal thickness, bathymetry, and gravity. We favor this second model because it predicts a mantle P-wave velocity reduction in the plume of ~2% as consistent with recent seismic observations beneath Iceland. Finally in Chapter 4 we use three-dimensional numerical models to investigate the interaction of plumes and migrating midocean ridges. Scaling laws of axial plume spreading width Ware derived first for stationary ridges and off-axis plumes, which yield results consistent with those obtained from independent studies of Ribe [1996]. Wand the maximum plume-ridge interaction distance Xmax again scale with (Q/U)l/2 as in the case of ridge-centered plumes and increase with ϒ and buoyancy number. In the case of a migrating ridge, Xmax is reduced when a ridge migrates toward the plume due to excess drag of the faster-moving leading plate, and enhanced when a ridge migrates away from the plume due to reduced drag of the slower-moving trailing plate. Thermal erosion of the lithospheric boundary layer by the previously ridge-centered plume further enhances Wand Xmax but to a degree that is secondary to the differential migration rates of the two plates. Model predictions are compared with observed along-isochron bathymetric and MBA variations at the Galapagos plume-ridge system. The anomaly amplitudes and widths, as well as the increase in anomaly amplitude with age are predicted with a plume source temperature anomaly of 80-120°C, radius of 80-100 km, and volume flux of 4.5x106 km3/m.y. Our numerical models also predict crustal production rates of the Galapagos Islands consistent with those estimated independently using the observed island topography. Predictions of the geochemical signature of the plume along the present-day ridge suggest that mixing between the plume and ambient mantle sources is unlikely to occur in the asthenosphere or shallow crust, but most likely deeper in the mantle possibly by entrainment of ambient mantle as the plume ascends through the depleted portion of the mantle from its deep source reservoir.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution March 1997

Description: The formation of new oceanic crust is the result of a complex geodynamic system in which mantle rises beneath spreading centers and undergoes decompression melting. The melt segregates from the matrix and is focused to the rise axis, where it is eventually intruded and/or erupted to form the oceanic crust. This thesis combines surface observations with laboratory studies and geodynamic modeling to study this crustal-production system. Quantitative modeling of the crustal and mantle contributions to the axial gravity and topography observed at the East Pacific Rise shows that the retained melt fraction in the mantle is small (〈3%) and is focused into a narrow column extending up to 70 km beneath the ridge axis. Consistent with geochemical constraints, the extraction of melt from the mantle therefore appears to be efficiently focus melt toward the ridge axis. A combination of laboratory and numerical studies are used to constrain the pattern of mantle flow beneath highly-segmented ridges. Even when the buoyant component of mantle flow is constrained to be two-dimensional, laboratory studies show that a segmented ridge will drive three-dimensional mantle upwelling. However, using reasonable mantle parameters in numerical models, it is difficult to induce large-amplitude three-dimensional mantle upwelling at the relatively short wavelengths of individual segments (~50 km). Instead, a simple model of three-dimensional melt migration shows that the observed segment-scale variations in crustal thickness can be explained by focusing of melt as it upwells through a more two-dimensional mantle flow field. At the Reykjanes Ridge, the melt appears to accumulate in small crustal magma chambers, before erupting in small batches to form numerous overlapping hummocky lava flows and small volcanoes. This suggests that crustal accretion, particularly at slow-spreading centers, may be a highly discontinuous process. Long-wavelength variations in crustal accretion may be dominated by variations in mantle upwelling while short-wavelength, segment-scale variations are more likely controlled by a complex three-dimensional processes of melt extraction and magma eruption.

Description: During my first three years in the Joint Program, I was supported by an National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship. Other support has been derived from National Science Foundation grants OCE-9296017, OCE-9224738, OCE-9215544, and EAR grant 93-07400.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution December 1996

Description: The objective of this Thesis was to interpret the structural development of slowspreading ridge segments by: 1) delineating the nature, magnitude, and relative importance of primary tectonic and volcanic processes that control crustal morphology, 2) investigating the spatial and temporal variability of these processes, and 3) examining how rheological variations in the lithosphere control its structural configuration. To that end, this Thesis provides detailed documentation of faults and volcanoes (seamounts) at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from 25°25'N to 27°10'N and extending from zero-age crust at the ridge axis to -29 Ma crust on the ridge flank. This information was used to analyze the evolution of ocean crust from initial formation in the rift valley to degradation by aging processes on the ridge flank. Accumulation of sediments affects the seafloor morphological expression of ocean crustal structure, and sediment thicknesses were also mapped to facilitate study of the morphological record of crustal accretion and tectonism. In addition, deformation conditions in the lithosphere were analyzed by study of microstructure and geothermometry of abyssal peridotite mylonites recovered from fault zones at slow-spreading ridges.

Description: We present the first application of a time reverse location method in a volcanic setting, for a family of long-period (LP) events recorded on Mt Etna. Results are compared with locations determined using a full moment tensor grid search inversion and cross-correlation method. From 2008 June 18 to July 3, 50 broad-band seismic stations were deployed on Mt Etna, Italy, in close proximity to the summit. Two families of LP events were detected with dominant spectral peaks around 0.9 Hz. The large number of stations close to the summit allowed us to locate all events in both families using a time reversal location method. The method involves taking the seismic signal, reversing it in time, and using it as a seismic source in a numerical seismic wave simulator where the reversed signals propagate through the numerical model, interfere constructively and destructively, and focus on the original source location. The source location is the computational cell with the largest displacement magnitude at the time of maximum energy current density inside the grid. Before we located the two LP families we first applied the method to two synthetic data sets and found a good fit between the time reverse location and true synthetic location for a known velocity model. The time reverse location results of the two families show a shallow seismic region close to the summit in agreement with the locations using a moment tensor full waveform inversion method and a cross-correlation location method.

Description: Published

Description: 452-462

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution February 1995

Description: The global mid-ocean ridge system is one of the most striking geological features on the surface of the Earth. In this system, the East Pacific Rise (EPR) is the fastest spreading ridge and is thus considered as the most active magmatically among the plate boundaries. In January and February of 1988, an extensive survey by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was conducted along the EPR between 9°05' and 9°55'N to study the crustal structure of the axial region. This thesis, the result of that cruise, comprises four main topics: (1) characterization of normal faulting from Sea Beam bathymetric data, (2) application of mechanical models to explore the hypothesis that buoyancy arising from crustal magma chambers and gravitational spreading of the upper crust are the principal processes leading to the initiation and development of normal faults, (3) investigation of seafloor magnetization anomalies to constrain upper crustal structure, and (4) analysis of gravity anomalies to examine possible correlations between observed variations in seafloor manifestations of volcanism and deformation and underlying structure. Thus, each topic focuses on different levels of the mid-ocean ridge. Together with the results of seismic and other observations, the findings are woven into a better understanding of the tectonic processes and structure of fastspreading mid-ocean ridges. First, to understand the characteristics of normal faults at fast-spreading ridges, we utilized swaths of Sea Beam bathymetry and estimated the distribution and geometry of normal fault zones using the slope of the seafloor as the criterion for a faulted surface. In our survey area, nonnal fault activity begins 2-8 km off-axis and continues at least to 30-40 km from the axis, as indicated by an increase in the total and average throws of normal fault zones versus distance from the axis. There appears to be no significant difference in the plan-view area of inward- and outward-facing nonnal fault zones. The distance from the rise axis to the nearest large-offset fault zone (throw 〉 20 m) on either side of the axis is approximately symmetric to the north of 9°23'N, but the midpoint between nearest largeoffset fault zones is offset 2-3 km to the west of the bathymetric axis to the south of 9°23'N. The continued growth of nonnal fault zones suggests that significant extensional stress persists to greater distances from the axis than previously thought and that the rise axis possesses a finite strength. The argument that the rise axis has finite strength is consistent with recent evidence for solidified axial dikes along magmatically active portions of the EPR from near-bottom seismic refraction experiments, which suggests that, while eruption of magma at the rise axis weakens the axis, the persistence of such weak zones is short-lived and the emplacement zones at any given time are localized along the axis. We examined how the presence of a low-density, low-strength magma chamber within the crust and gravitational spreading of a mechanically strong upper crust over an underlying substrate contribute to the fonnation of faults at a fast spreading mid-ocean ridge by comparing the predicted stress field with the observed pattern of normal fault zones. We employed boundary element methods to incorporate buoyancy and gravitational spreading as body forces in an elastic medium, and we detennined stress and strain fields for a variety of rise axis conditions and a range of possible sets of material properties for different parts of the mid-ocean ridge. Our results show that the strength of the rise axis is one of the most crucial factors governing the near-axis stress field. If the rise axis is mechanically weak, the maximum extensional stress from buoyancy occurs at shallow depth off the rise axis. A weak rise axis may result from recent magmatism such as the intrusion of dikes into the upper crust. On the other hand, if the rise axis is mechanically strong, which may result after solidification and cooling of the dike zone, the maximum surface extensional stress occurs on the rise axis. However, the reduction in size of a magma chamber that would accompany cessation of dike injection would lead to less buoyancy and thus a lower likelihood of stress levels sufficient for faulting. For a given set of material strengths and a given magnitude of buoyancy force, the flexural rigidity of the upper crust plays an important role in detennining if a zone of extension will develop off axis and, if so, the position and horizontal extent of that zone. A thin or mechanically weak upper crust is more likely to develop a zone of extension than one that is thick or mechanically strong. The stress field resulting from gravitational spreading is similarly affected by the strength of the rise axis. While buoyancy can explain a consistent distance at which normal faults initiate off-axis, gravitational spreading can account for continued activity on normal faults to a greater distance from the axis than can buoyancy. The existence of a magma lens can play an important role in reducing the magnitude of the stress field for a weak rise axis, as the crust above the magma lens can slide and thus relieve the thickness-averaged extensional stress. Next, we inverted surface ship measurements of the scalar magnetic field along the EPR between 9°10' and 9°50'N. We examined whether the axial magnetization high, which increases in amplitude to the south in our area, can best be explained by variations in the thickness or in the magnetization intensity of the source layer. The variation in axial magnetization is too large to be explained solely by the variations in the depth to the top of the axial magma chamber indicated by reflection seismology. For a magnetic source layer that is 500 or 750 m thick, the observed along-axis variations in FeO and Ti02 explain only 36 and 60%, respectively, of the total variance of axial magnetization anomalies. Therefore, a combination of variations in magnetic layer thickness and in intensity of magnetization (by variations in the FeO and Ti02 contents of the source rock or by other mechanisms) is needed to explain the along-axis variation of axial magnetization. In addition to the increase in amplitude to the south, the axial magnetization high exhibits at least three marked changes in magnitude and offsets in its along-axis linearity ('magnetic devals') (at 9°25', 9°37', and 9°45'N) which appear to be related to boundaries or offsets between the segments of the axial summit caldera (ASC). Because the amplitudes of the axial magnetization anomalies are highest at the midpoints of the ASC segments, we speculate that midpoints of the ASC segments are the loci of more frequent lava eruptions, and the seafloor basalts at the midpoints are thus younger and more magnetic, than at the segment ends. The magnetization shows distinct short-wavelength (~ 5 km) banding to the north of 9°25'N over a region that does not appear to have been affected by an overlapping spreading center. Among the possible explanations for these off-axis magnetization anomalies are short geomagnetic reversal events within the Brunhes epoch, variations in the paleointensity of the Earth's field, variations in the magnetization intensity of the source rock due to variability in the magmatic supply, and variations in the degree of hydrothermal alteration at the rise axis. On the basis of comparisons of forward models and observations, short geomagnetic reversal events appear to be the most likely explanation of these anomalies. The analysis of sea-surface gravity field measurements shows an axial residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly too large to be explained by the anomalous temperature of the mantle or by changes in the thickness of the crust. The broad axial residual gravity low is interpreted as a signal arising largely from the upper mantle, presumably by presence of partial melt along the rise axis. A northward increase in the width of the low implies a greater melt fraction in the region to the north than to the south, especially on the Pacific plate side. The residual gravity anomaly also shows several short-wavelength local lows along the axis (e.g., 9°21', 9°32', and 9°42'N) which correlate with along-axis variations in axial magnetization and tomographic images of mid-crustal seismic velocities. Along axis the local lows have an amplitude of 1.5-3 mGal and appear at a nearly regular spacing (10- 15 km). Across the axis, however, the local lows show a greater variation (3-5 mGal), suggesting that there is an additional gravity anomaly signal arising from a low-density structure that is approximately continuous along the axis. The anomalous masses producing the local lows are interpreted as zones of relatively high melt concentration, formed within the crust by recent replenishment of magma from the upper mantle, that are surrounded by a region of lesser melt concentration corresponding to the low-velocity volume imaged by seismic tomography. If the zone of high melt concentration are modeled as circular rods of radius 1 km, along-axis length 10 km, and center of mass 2.25 km below the seafloor, density contrasts of 200-350 kg/m3 are needed to match the observed anomalies. For larger anomalous mass volumes, the density contrasts would be lower. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that the axis of the EPR can be divided into segments 10-15 km in length, with each segment defmed by the locus and timing of most recent emplacement of magma in the axial crust. The segments in the study area appear to be in different phases of a magmatic cycle, but the period of such a magmatic cycle is not known. By this view, the discrete emplacement of magma bodies gives rise to along-axis variations in crustal structure manifested as short-wavelength residual gravity anomalies and magnetic devals. Another consequence of a rise axis at which magma is emplaced at discrete locations is that the mechanical strength of the axial upper crust varies with position along the axis and over time. During active magmatism, the rise axis acts as a weak zone and the buoyancy of the axial magma chamber and surrounding low-velocity volume can lead to initiation of off-axis normal faulting. However, for a long segment of the rise bounded by transform faults, the axis will have sections with a solidified rucial injection zone as well as sections undergoing active magmatism, and thus the rise overall may appear to have finite strength. If such a finitestrength ridge axis is subject to significant extensional stress as a result of gravitational spreading, mantle convective tractions, or differential cooling, then continued normal fault activity would extend over a broad region to distances of at least several tens of kilometers from the spreading axis.

Description: The work in this thesis was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants OCE-8615797, OCE-8615892, and OCE-9000177.

Description: In this study the attenuation mechanism of seismic wave energy in north central Italy is estimated using low-magnitude earthquake local data recorded at six stations managed by INGV. Most of the analysed events are located along the Alpine chain in the zone of Iseo and Garda lakes, while a minor part in the Po valley. The zone investigated is characterized by the occurrence of significantly intense earthquakes (magnitude up to 6.6) the most recent occurred in 2004 close to the city of Sal`o on the coast of the Garda lake (Mw = 5.0). Due to the high population density and presence of industrial activity the investigated area is characterized by a high seismic risk. First, the ordinary Multiple Lapse Time Window Analysis (MLTWA) method is applied in the assumption of uniformvelocity and scattering and the couple of B0, the seismic albedo and Le−1, the extinction length inverse (corresponding to the total attenuation coefficient) is calculated in the frequency bands of 1.5, 3, 6 and 12 Hz. To retrieve more realistic estimates, the obtained values of B0 and Le−1 are corrected taking into account the effects of a depth-dependent earth model, consisting of an earth structure characterized by a transparent upper mantle and a heterogeneous crust. We find that the corrected intrinsic and scattering attenuation parameters (which are proportional to the inverse of the intrinsic/scattering quality factors, QI−1 and Qs−1) are strongly frequency dependent, with a prevalence of scattering attenuation over the intrinsic dissipation. The corrected and uncorrected values of total Q are in agreement with the total Q values obtained with different approaches for the same area.

Description: Published

Description: 3.1. Fisica dei terremoti

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: We present the first application of a time reverse location method in a volcanic setting, for a family of long-period (LP) events recorded on Mt Etna. Results are compared with locations determined using a full moment tensor grid search inversion and cross-correlation method. From 2008 June 18 to July 3, 50 broad-band seismic stations were deployed on Mt Etna, Italy, in close proximity to the summit. Two families of LP events were detected with dominant spectral peaks around 0.9 Hz. The large number of stations close to the summit allowed us to locate all events in both families using a time reversal location method. The method involves taking the seismic signal, reversing it in time, and using it as a seismic source in a numerical seismic wave simulator where the reversed signals propagate through the numerical model, interfere constructively and destructively, and focus on the original source location. The source location is the computational cell with the largest displacement magnitude at the time of maximum energy current density inside the grid. Before we located the two LP families we first applied the method to two synthetic data sets and found a good fit between the time reverse location and true synthetic location for a known velocity model. The time reverse location results of the two families show a shallow seismic region close to the summit in agreement with the locations using a moment tensor full waveform inversion method and a cross-correlation location method.

Description: In press

Description: (11)

Description: 1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attive

Description: JCR Journal

Description: reserved

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution February 1999

Description: Changes in morphology of the Marquesas Fracture Zone are correlated with small changes in Pacific-Farallon relative motion. The simple flexural signal of a locked fracture zone may be obscured by tectonic effects, and there is no evidence for the release of shear stress on the fracture zone by vertical slip after leaving the active transform. One such small change in plate motion is documented in the South ern Austral Island region of the South Pacific. A twelve degree clock wise change in Pacific-Farallon relative motion occurred around fifty million years ago. This Eocene change in spreading direction and rate is locally constrained with observations of magnetic anomalies and spreading fabric orientation. At the southeastern end of the Cook-Austral Island chain, multiple episodes of volcanism have left a diverse population of seamounts. Volume estimates from geophysical data and modeling show that one-half to two-thirds of the volcanic material is over thirty million years old, while the remainder is less than five million years old. Seismic and bathymetric data imply the presence of abyssal basalt flows in the flexural moat of the Austral Islands, probably associated with Austral Islands volcanism, which may contribute a significant amount of material to the archipelagic apron.

Description: The research presented in Chapter 2 was supported by National Science Founda tion grants OCE-9012949 and OCE-9012529. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 were supported by National Science Foundation grant OCE-9415930. A National Science Foundation graduate fellowship supported my first three years of graduate study.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution May 1988

Description: Heat flow, tectonic subsidence and crustal thickness distributions in the Ligurian Basin are best explained by asymmetric lithospheric thinning mechanisms. Over 150 heat flow measurements are made on several transects between Nice, France and Calvi, Corsica on continental slope and rise settings. Thermal gradient determinations are improved using an optimization technique. Piston core data and surface sediment 3.5 kHz reflectivity patterns help constrain thermal conductivity obtained from over 100 in situ stations. Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy is revised using new seismic reflection profiles: a boundary fault system associated with postrift margin uplift, a Pleistocene-age Var Fan construction, and recent diapirism of Messinian salt are indicated. After assessing local thermal disturbances (mass-wasting, microtopography, and salt refraction), positive heat flow corrections are made for multi-lithologic sedimentation histories and glacial paleotemperatures. Using boundary-layer cooling models, equilibrium heat flow estimates support geologic evidence for Oligocene and early Miocene rifting. Heat flow maxima correlate well with two "oceanic" sub-basins, suggesting that the southeastern trough near Corsica is ~5 Myr younger, consistent with the southeastern progression of volcanism and back arc rifting in the Western Mediterranean. Tectonic subsidence-crustal thickness trends indicate lithospheric stretching, with heat flow supporting asymmetric sub-crustal lithospheric thinning during the conjugate margin formation.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution May 1988

Description: The age of the Nazca plate where it enters the Peru and northern Chile trenches varies from 30 Ma in the north to 45 Ma in the south as its dip beneath the South American continent steepens from 13° to 30°. If the elastic thickness Te of oceanic lithosphere depends only on its age, and therefore thermal state, we would expect that Te determined from fitting the flexure of the lithosphere over the outer rise as revealed in the depth and geoid anomalies would increase from the Peru Trench in the north to the northern Chile Trench further south. We find that just the opposite is true: the lithosphere appears stiffer outboard of the Peru Trench than it does further south, and the isotherm controlling the elastic/ductile transition must be 600°C or greater if the thermal structure of the plate is that predicted by the standard thermal plate model. Because the decrease in plate stiffness to the south is correlated with a decrease in the minimum radius of curvature of the flexed plate over the outer rise and outer trench wall, we interpret our result in terms of inelastic yielding of the oceanic lithosphere when bent to high strains. The fact that the more highly bent segment of subducting lithosphere also dips at a steeper angle at greater depth beneath the continent might suggest that the amount of inelastic weakening of the lithosphere could be predicted from seismic images of the down going slab, but we find little support for this correlation worldwide. The forces and moments controlling the shallow deformation of the plate seaward of the trench do not appear to be linked to upper mantle processes which impose the dip at greater depth. Finally, we consider the possibility that the elastic thickness of the lithosphere would be reduced for trenches that are highly arcuate in map view, again due to inelastic yielding. If such a relationship exists, the effect for oceanic lithosphere is much smaller than what is documented for continental plates where they underthrust highly arcuate fold belts.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 1978

Description: This thesis consists of three papers examining problems related to the crustal structure, isostasy and subsidence history of aseismic ridges and mid-plate island chains. Analysis of gravity and bathymetry data across the Ninetyeast and eastern Walvis Ridges indicates these features are locally compensated by an over thickening of the oceanic crust. Maximum crustal thicknesses are 15-30 km. The western Walvis Ridge is also compensated by crustal thickening; however, the isostasy of this part of the ridge is best explained by a plate model of compensation with elastic plate thicknesses of 5-8 km. These results are consistent with the formation of the Ninetyeast and Walvis Ridges near spreading centers on young lithosphere with flexural rigidities at least an order of magnitude less than those typically determined from flexural studies in older parts of the ocean basins. As the lithosphere cools and thickens, its rigidity increases, explaining the differences in isostasy between aseismic ridges and mid-plate island chains. The long-term subsidence of aseismic ridges and island/ seamount chains can also be explained entirely by lithospheric cooling. Aseismic ridges form near ridge crests and subside at nearly the same rate as normal oceanic crust Mid-plate island chains subside at slower rates because they are built on older crust. However, some island chains have subsided faster than expected based on the age of the surrounding sea floor, probably because of lithospheric thinning over midplate hot spots, like Hawaii. This lithospheric thinning model has major implications both for lithospheric and mantle convection studies as well as the origin of continental rift systems.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution January 1972

Description: Free-air and simple Bouguer anomaly maps of the Venezuelan continental margin (from 60°W to 72°W and from 7°N to 13°N) are presented. The major features of the free-air map are: the large lows associated with the deep sedimentary basins, -200 mgal in the Eastern Venezuela basin and -164 mgal in the Maracaibo basin; the high of greater than 300 mgal over the Venezuelan Andes; and a belt of highs associated with the offshore islands extending from Blanquilla to Curacao and then over the Guajira peninsula, where they terminate. The Bouguer anomaly map shows a large low (-196 mgal) over the Eastern Venezuela basin and relative minimums over the coastal mountains. A minimum associated with the Venezuelan Andes is shifted to the northwest of the topographic axis and lies over the flank of the Andes and part of the Maracaibo basin. Using the gravity data, structural sections were constructed for a series of profiles across the Venezuelan Andes and Caribbean mountains. They show that there is no light crustal root under the Andes, the relative mass excess is as much as 600 kg/cm2, and that there is an excess of low density material under the Maracaibo basin. This appears to be caused by a combination of a southeastward dipping shear zone in the lithosphere under the basin-mountain boundary and a component of compressive stress perpendicular to this zone, both of which have resulted in the uplift of the crust under the Andes, and downwarp under the basin. The apparent flexural rigidity of the lithosphere under the Maracaibo basin is 0.6 x 1023 newton-m, a normal value for lithosphere deformations of Miocene age. The Caribbean mountains have a light crustal root which has been formed by the sliding of blocks of crustal material from the north over the rocks to the south, and perhaps by the underthrusting of oceanic crust under the continental crust. This underthrusting may have been a result of the formation of a downgoing slab of lithosphere along the Venezuelan continental margin during the late Cretaceous. The downgoing slab may have existed until mid-Eocene time. The gravity minimum over the Eastern Venezuela basin is due to the downwarping of lighter crustal material into the higher density mantle. This may be a result of compression from the north along a north-south direction causing plastic downbuckling of the lithosphere. The present deformation along the northern boundary appears to be due to differences in relative motion between the North and South American plates. Because the Caribbean mountains are partially isostatically compensated, while the Venezuelan Andes are above isostatic equilibrium, this suggests that the relative motion of the Caribbean plate with respect to the South American plate is eastward. The compressive stress across the boundary in the region of the Venezuelan Andes is probably greater than the compressive stress across the Caribbean mountains.

Description: This investigation was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation GA-12204, and by contract N00014-66-C-024l with the Office of Naval Research.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution January 1981

Description: The results of a detailed geophysical survey are used in conjunction with all available information in a study of the tectonic development of the Cayman Trough and the Greater Antilles Ridge. This development is connected with the relative motions of the North and South Americas and the eastern Pacific plates. Thus, the pre-Tertiary history of the region is one of simple convergence. This contrasts with the complex tectonism of primary translation, with secondary convergence and divergence during the Tertiary. The ancestral Greater Antillean Arc suffered fracturing during collision with the Bahamas stable platform in the Late Cretaceous. Oblique convergence re-established itself across the remnant fragments of the ancestral arc in the Tertiary, producing a sheared welt partially decoupled from both the North American and Caribbean plates. Pronounced temporal and structural heterogeneity occurs within this Plate Boundary Zone. Along its northern margin secondary convergence with the North American plate formed the massive subduction complex of the Cuchillas Uplift and the Sierra Septentrional. Convergence between the Plate Boundary Zone and the Caribbean plate resulted in the triple virgation of the fold belts extending westward from the Los Muertos Trough to Oriente Province (Cuba), the Cayman Trough and the Nicaraguan Rise. Tectonism along these fold belts youngs southwestward preserving the stratigraphy of the Caribbean Basin at the time of their formation during the early, middle, and late Tertiary. The Caribbean/North American Plate boundary occurred along the zones of major strain accomodation within the Plate Boundary Zone. The Cayman Trough was produced during a period of divergence between the Nicaraguan Rise and the North American plates during the Miocene. Since the Pliocene, the shear boundary within the Cayman Trough occurs along the Oriente Deep proceeding via the Windward Passage Deep and the Valle del Cibao to the Puerto Rico Trench. Convergence and shear predominate the present tectonic framework of the Plate Boundary Zone.

Description: Cruise #97 of the R. V. ATLANTIS II was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (OCE78-20/ 11336.00). Further support was received from the Ocean Industry Program and the Educational Program of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June, 1979

Description: A major goal in the study of plate tectonics is the acquisition of a knowledge of the history of relative motion among the rigid plates of the earth's lithosphere. The three papers of this thesis contribute to this effort and demonstrate that studies of the stability and evolution of triple junctions and of the finite rotations of systems of three plates can yield significantly more accurate tectonic histories than can studies of the relative motions between two plates alone. Topographic and magnetic investigation of the Southwest Indian Ridge and reconstruction of the plate system of the Indian Ocean shows that both Africa and Antarctica are rigid plates and their pole of relative rotation has remained fixed near 8°N, 42°W since the Eocene. A detailed survey of the Indian Ocean triple junction reveals that the Indian Ocean plate motions have remained constant since 10 Ma. The stability conditions of the junction show that the general morphology of the Southwest Indian Ridge results from the evolution of the Indian Ocean triple junction. A method is presented for determining the finite rotations best reconstructing the past relative positions of three plates around a triple junction. The method is illustrated by reconstructions of the plates around the Labrador Sea triple junction at the times of anomalies 24 (56 Ma) and 21 (50 Ma). The region of uncertainty of the Greenland-North America finite pole is mapped for each reconstruction, and it demonstrates that consideration of the three plate system yields more well-constrained results than does a treatment of the two plates alone.

Description: This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research contract N00014-75-C-0291 with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Description: Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution August, 1996

Description: Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is oceanic crust formed by magmatic and tectonic processes along mid-ocean ridges. Slow-spreading ridges, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, are discontinuous and composed of ridge segments. Segments are thus fundamental units of magmatic accretion and tectonic deformation that control the evolution of the crust. The objective of this Thesis is to constrain the tectonic processes that occur at the scale of slowspreading segments, to identify the factors controlling segment propagation, and to provide constraints on lithospheric strength with laboratory deformation experiments. In chapter 2, bathymetry and gravity from various areas along the global mid-ocean ridge system are analyzed to quantify systematic variations at the scale of individual segments. There is a marked asymmetry in bathymetry and gravity in the vicinity of segment offsets. We develop a model of faulting to explain these observations. Low-angle faults appear to accommodate tectonic extension at the inside corners of ridge-offset intersections, and result in substantially uplifted terrain with thin crust with respect to that at the outside corners or centers of segments. Results from Chapter 3 indicate that the crust magmatically emplaced on axis is not maintained off-axis. This transition is revealed by both statistical and spectral analyses of bathymetry and gravity. Tectonic extension varies along the length of a segment, resulting in thinning and uplift of the crust at ridge-offset inside corners, and a decorrelation between bathymetry and gravity patterns. Tectonic deformation substantially reshapes the oceanic crust that is magmatically emplaced on-axis, and strongly controls the crustal structure and seafloor morphology off-axis. Satellite gravity data over the Atlantic shown in Chapter 4 reveal a complex history of ridge segmentation, and provides constraints on the processes driving the propagation of segments. The pattern of segmentation is controlled mainly by the geometry of the ridge axis, and secondarily by hot spots. Segments migrate primarily down regional gradients associated with hot spot swells. However, the lack of correlation between gradients and propagation rate, and the propagation up gradient of some offsets, suggest that additional factors control propagation (e.g., variations in lithospheric strength). Most non-transform offsets are short-lived and migrating, while transform offsets are long-lived and stable. Both the propagation of segments (Chapter 4) tectonism along a segment (Chapters 2 and 3) are controlled by the lithospheric rheology. In Chapter 5 I present results from laboratory deformation experiments on serpentinite. These experiments demonstrate that serpentinites are considerably weaker than peridotites or gabbros, display a non-dilatant style of brittle deformation, and strain is accommodated by shear cracking. Serpentinites may weaken the lithosphere, enhance strain localization along faults, and control the style of faulting.

Description: A fellowship from Caixa de Pensions "La Caixa" in Barcelona provided me with all the required financial support to come to WHOI. The work presented in this thesis was also supported by the National Science Foundation grants OCE-90l2576, OCE-930078, OCE-9313812, and Office of Naval Research grant N00014-9l-J-1433.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 1976

Description: This thesis is a collection and analysis of seafloor magnetic anomalies, bathymetry, and the paleomagnetism of DSDP sediments and basalt in the West Philippine Basin, in an attempt to resolve questions about its origin as a marginal basin. Our results suggest that this basin was formed in an Eocene pulse of rapid spreading (v1/2 = 41-44 mm/yr) in a direction (N 21°E) significantly different from later pulses which opened the more eastern basins of the Philippine Sea. The Central Basin Fault appears to be intimately associated with this spreading by nature of its structure and trend, and it may be a remanent of a former ridge system. Our preliminary calculation of paleopole positions also suggests that there was a large amount (60°) of clockwise rotation between this basin and the magnetic pole. This is consistent with rotations of the Pacific plate with respect to the magnetic pole and current directions of Philippine- Pacific'relative rotations. Basement depths of 6 km in the West philippine Basin imply that its crustal and/or lithospheric structure is different from Pacific structure of the same age.

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution January, 1977

Description: This thes is is a collection of papers on the paleomagnetics of samples from several Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites in the Indian Ocean. These papers present the basic paleomagnetic data, discuss the statistical methods for analyzing such data from DSDP cores, and examine the implications of the paleolatitudes for the origin of the Ninetyeast Ridge and the northward motion of India. Rarely do DSDP paleolatitudes approach the reliability of good continental pole positions. However, the reliability of such paleolatitudes can be markedly improved by using comparisons with paleolatitudes of different ages from the same site, paleolatitudes of similar ages from different sites on the same plate, estimates of paleolatitude from the skewness of marine magnetic anomalies, and continental paleopole. positions. Using such comparisons, a new paleomagnetic pole of upper Cretaceous age has been defined for the Pacific plate. A middle Cretaceous pole has been defined for the Wharton Basin plate, and it suggests that there may have been left lateral motion between Australia and the Wharton Basin. Paleolatitudes from the Ninetyeast Ridge are consistent with the pole position for the Deccan Traps. These data indicate that India and the Ninetyeast Ridge moved northwards with respect to the South Pole at 14.9 ± 4.5 cm/yr from 70 to 40 mybp and at 5.2 ± .8 cm/yr from 40 mybp until the present. However, when this paleomotion is compared to the Australian paleomagnetic data (by removing the relative motion components), a major inconsistency appears between 40 and 50 mybp. The Australian data indicate that India should be 13° further north than the positions implied by the Ninetyeast Ridge data. Basal paleolatitudes on the Ninetyeast Ridge indicate that its volcanic source was approximately fixed in latitude near 50°S, supporting the hypothesis that the ridge is the trace of the Kerguelen hotspot on the northward moving Indian plate. There is considerable geologic evidence in favor of such an hypothesis, and there is none to contradict it.

Description: National Science Foundation (Grant DES-74-22552).

Description: Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September, 1975

Description: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is one of the most well known and yet poorly understood spreading centers in the world. A detailed investigation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge crest near 37°N (FAMOUS) was conducted using a deeply towed instrument package. The objective was to study the detailed structure and spreading history of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge median valley, to explore the roles of volcanism and faulting in the evolution of oceanic crust, and to study the morphologic expression and structural history of the zone of crustal accretion. In addition, microearthquake surveys were conducted using arrays of free-floating hydrophones. The most recent expression of the accreting plate boundary in the Famous Rift is an alternating series of linear central volcanoes and depressions 1.5 km wide which lie within the inner floor. This lineament is marked by a sharp maximum in crustal magnetization only 2-3 km wide. Magnetic studies indicate that over 90% of the extrusive volcanism occurs within the rift inner floor, a zone 1 to 12 km wide, while volcanism is extremely rare in the rift mountains. Volcanoes created in the inner floor are transported out on, block faults, becoming a lasting part of the topography. Magnetic anomaly transition widths vary from 1 km to 8 km with time and appear to reflect a bi-stable median valley structure. The valley has either a wide inner floor and narrow terraces, in which case the volcanic zone is wide and magnetic anomalies are poorly recorded (wide transition widths); or it has a narrow inner floor and wide terraces, the volcanic zone is then narrow and anomalies are clearly recorded (narrow transition widths). The median valley of any ridge segment varies between these two structures with time. At present the. Famous Rift has a narrow inner floor and volcanic zone (1-3 km) while the south Famous Rift is at the opposite end of the cycle with a wide inner floor and volcanic zone (10-12 km). Over 95% of the large scale (〉2 km) relief of the median valley is accounted for by normal faults dipping toward the valley axis. Normal faulting along fault planes dipping away from the valley begins just past the outer walls of the valley. Outward facing normal faulting accounts for most of the decay of median valley relief in the rift mountains while crustal tilting accounts for less than 20%. The pattern of normal faulting creates a broad, undulating horst and graben relief. Volcanic features contribute little to the large scale relief, but contribute to the short wavelength (〈2km) roughness of the topography. Spreading in the Famous area is highly asymmetric with rates twice as high to the east as to the west. At 1.7 m.y.b.p. the sense of asymmetry reverses in direction with spreading faster to the west, resulting in a gross symmetry when averaged through time. The change in spreading asymmetry occurred in less than 0.15 m.y. Structural studies indicate that the asymmetric spreading is accomplished through asymmetric crustal extension as well as asymmetric crustal accretion. Spreading in the Famous area is 17° oblique. Even on a fine scale there is no indication of readjustment to an orthogonal plate boundary system. Spreading has been stably oblique for at least 6 m.y., even through a change in spreading direction. Magnetic studies reveal that the deep DSDP hole at site 332 was drilled into a magnetic polarity transition, and may have sampled rocks which recorded the earth i s field behavior during a reversal. The presence of negative polarity crust within the Brunhes normal epoch in the inner floor has been determined, and may be due to old crust left behind or recording of a geomagnetic field event. Crustal magnetization decays to lie of its initial value in less than 0.6 m.y. The rapid decay may be facillitated by very intense crustal fracturing observed in the inner floor. Microearthquake, magnetic and structural studies indicate that both the spreading and transform plate boundaries are very narrow (1-2 km) and well-defined for short periods, but migrate over zones 10-20 km wide through time.