Seismic velocities and elastic properties of gabbroic rocks from ODP Hole 118-735B

The nearly continuous recovery of 0.5 km of generally fresh, layer 3 gabbroic rocks at Hole 735B, especially near the bottom of the section, presents scientists an unusual opportunity to study the detailed elastic properties of the lower oceanic crust. Extending compressional-wave and density shipboard measurements at room pressure, Vp and Vs were measured at pressures from 20 to 200 MPa using the pulse transmission method. All of the rocks exhibit significant increases in velocity with increasing pressure up to about 150 MPa, a feature attributed to the closing of microcrack porosity. Measured velocities reflect the mineralogical makeup and microstructures acquired during the tectonic history of Hole 735B. Most of the undeformed and unaltered gabbros are approximately 65:35 plagioclase/clinopyroxene rocks plus olivine or oxide minerals, and the observed densities and velocities are fully consistent with the Voigt-Reuss-Hill (VRH) averages of the component minerals and their proportions. Depending on their olivine content, the predominant olivine gabbros at 200 MPa have average Vp = 7.1 ± 0.2 km/s, Vs = 3.9 ± 0.1 km/s, and grain densities of 2.95 ± 0.5 g/cm3. The less abundant iron-titanium (Fe-Ti) oxide gabbros average Vp = 6.75 ± 0.15 km/s, Vs = 3.70 ± 0.1 km/s, and grain densities of 3.22 ± 0.05 g/cm3, reflecting the higher densities and lower velocities of oxide minerals compared to olivine. About 30% of the core is plastically deformed, and the densities and directionally averaged velocities of these shear-zone tectonites are generally consistent with those of the gabbros, their protoliths. Three sets of observations indicate that the shear-zone metagabbros are elastically anisotropic: (1) directional variations in Vp, both vertical and horizontal and with respect to foliation and lineation; (2) discrepancies among Vp values for the horizontal cores and the VRH averages of the component minerals and their mineral proportions, suggesting preferred crystallographic orientations of anisotropic minerals; and (3) variations of Vs of up to 7%, with polarization directions parallel and perpendicular to foliation. Optical inspection of thin sections of the same samples indicates that plagioclase feldspar, clinopyroxene, and amphibole typically display crystallographic-preferred orientations, and this, plus the elastic anisotropy of these minerals, suggests that preferred orientations are responsible for much of the observed anisotropy, particularly at high pressure. Alteration tends to be localized to brittle faults and brecciated zones, and typical alteration minerals are amphibole and secondary plagioclase, which do not significantly change the velocity-density relationships.

Ocean bottom seismometer sgy-files of refraction seismic profiles from Professor Logachev cruise TTR16/3

Over the last decade pockmarks have proven to be important seabed features that provide information about fluid flow on continental margins. Their formation and dynamics are still poorly constrained due to the lack of proper three dimensional imaging of their internal structure. Numerous fluid escape features provide evidence for an active fluid-flow system on the Norwegian margin, specifically in the Nyegga region. In June-July 2006 a high-resolution seismic experiment using Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) was carried out to investigate the detailed 3D structure of a pockmark named G11 in the region. An array of 14 OBS was deployed across the pockmark with 1 m location accuracy. Shots fired from surface towed mini GI guns were also recorded on a near surface hydrophone streamer. Several reflectors of high amplitude and reverse polarity are observed on the profiles indicating the presence of gas. Gas hydrates were recovered with gravity cores from less than a meter below the seafloor during the cruise. Indications of gas at shallow depths in the hydrate stability field show that methane is able to escape through the water-saturated sediments in the chimney without being entirely converted into gas hydrate. An initial 2D raytraced forward model of some of the P wave data along a line running NE-SW across the G11 pockmark shows, a gradual increase in velocity between the seafloor and a gas charged zone lying at ~300 m depth below the seabed. The traveltime fit is improved if the pockmark is underlain by velocities higher than in the surrounding layer corresponding to a pipe which ascends from the gas zone, to where it terminates in the pockmark as seen in the reflection profiles. This could be due to the presence of hydrates or carbonates within the sediments.

Petrography and geochemical composition of the Atlantis II Fracture Zone

SeaBeam echo sounding, seismic reflection, magnetics, and gravity profiles were run along closely spaced tracks (5 km) parallel to the Atlantis II Fracture Zone on the Southwest Indian Ridge, giving 80% bathymetric coverage of a 30- * 170-nmi strip centered over the fracture zone. The southern and northern rift valleys of the ridge were clearly defined and offset north-south by 199 km. The rift valleys are typical of those found elsewhere on the Southwest Indian Ridge, with relief of more than 2200 m and widths from 22 to 38 km. The ridge-transform intersections are marked by deep nodal basins lying on the transform side of the neovolcanic zone that defines the present-day spreading axis. The walls of the transform generally are steep (25°-40°), although locally, they can be more subdued. The deepest point in the transform is 6480 m in the southern nodal basin, and the shallowest is an uplifted wave-cut terrace that exposes plutonic rocks from the deepest layer of the ocean crust at 700 m. The transform valley is bisected by a 1.5-km-high median tectonic ridge that extends from the northern ridge-transform intersection to the midpoint of the active transform. The seismic survey showed that the floor of the transform contains up to 0.5 km of sediment. Piston-coring at two locations on the transform floor recovered more than 1 m of sand and gravel, which appears to be turbidites shed from the walls of the fracture zone. Extensive dredging showed that more than two-thirds of the crust exposed in the transform valley and its walls were plutonic rocks, principally gabbros and residual mantle peridotites. In contrast, based on dredging and seafloor morphology, only relatively undisrupted pillow basalt flows have been exposed on crust of the same age spreading away from the transform. Magnetic anomalies are well defined out to 11 m.y. over the flanking transverse ridges and transform valley, even where layer 2 appears to be absent. The total opening rate is 1.6 cm/yr, but the arrangement of the anomalies indicates that the spreading for each ridge is asymmetric, with the ridge flanks facing the transform spreading at a rate of 1.0 cm/yr. Such an asymmetric spreading pattern requires that both the northern and southern ridges migrate away from each other at 0.2 cm/yr, thus lengthening the transform at 0.4 cm/yr for the last 11 m.y. To the north, the fracture zone valley is oriented differently from the present-day transform, indicating a paleospreading direction change at 17 m.y. from N10°E to due north-south. This change placed the transform into extension for the 11-m.y. period required for simple orthogonal ridge-transform geometry to be reestablished and produced a large transtensional basin within the transform valley. This basin was split by continued transform slip after 11 m.y., with the larger half moving to the north with the African Plate.

Uncertainty Analysis in New Seismic Hazard Study of Spain Aimed at the Revision of the Spanish Building Code.

In this paper we present a global overview of the recent study carried out in Spain for the new hazard map, which final goal is the revision of the Building Code in our country (NCSE-02). The study was carried our for a working group joining experts from The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) , being the different phases of the work supervised by an expert Committee integrated by national experts from public institutions involved in subject of seismic hazard. The PSHA method (Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment) has been followed, quantifying the epistemic uncertainties through a logic tree and the aleatory ones linked to variability of parameters by means of probability density functions and Monte Carlo simulations. In a first phase, the inputs have been prepared, which essentially are: 1) a project catalogue update and homogenization at Mw 2) proposal of zoning models and source characterization 3) calibration of Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPE’s) with actual data and development of a local model with data collected in Spain for Mw < 5.5. In a second phase, a sensitivity analysis of the different input options on hazard results has been carried out in order to have criteria for defining the branches of the logic tree and their weights. Finally, the hazard estimation was done with the logic tree shown in figure 1, including nodes for quantifying uncertainties corresponding to: 1) method for estimation of hazard (zoning and zoneless); 2) zoning models, 3) GMPE combinations used and 4) regression method for estimation of source parameters. In addition, the aleatory uncertainties corresponding to the magnitude of the events, recurrence parameters and maximum magnitude for each zone have been also considered including probability density functions and Monte Carlo simulations The main conclusions of the study are presented here, together with the obtained results in terms of PGA and other spectral accelerations SA (T) for return periods of 475, 975 and 2475 years. The map of the coefficient of variation (COV) are also represented to give an idea of the zones where the dispersion among results are the highest and the zones where the results are robust.

Investigating the Eastern Extent of the Seattle Fault Zone through Depth to Bedrock and Borehole Analysis in Bellevue, Washington

This study identifies lineaments that indicate fault activity and strengthens previous interpretations of structures within the eastern extent of the Seattle Fault zone in Bellevue, WA. My investigation has compiled geotechnical subsurface data, high-resolution LiDAR imagery, and ground-penetrating radar to produce strip log sections transecting identified lineaments and depth-to-bedrock maps exposing fault structure. My work incorporates field investigation, multiple publicly available datasets, and subsurface modeling. My results include a map showing twenty-eight identified surface lineaments, five strip-log sections, and interpolated depth-to-bedrock and minimum-depth-to-bedrock maps. Several lineaments identified in the minimum-depth-to-bedrock raster are parallel to the Seattle Fault zone and suggest the presence of small splay faults beneath east Bellevue. These results strengthen previous interpretations of seismic profile data located in the study area. Another lineament identified in the minimum-depth-to-bedrock raster suggest an unmapped tear fault accommodating differential offset along fault strike between Mercer Island and Bellevue. This work also demonstrates the utility of publicly available datasets such as geotechnical subsurface explorations and LiDAR imagery in supplementing geologic investigations in the eastern extent of the Seattle Fault zone.