Mid-ocean ridge ≈ Mid-ocean ridge
View article: Ocean Basin Evolution and Global-Scale Plate Reorganization Events Since Pangea Breakup
Ocean Basin Evolution and Global-Scale Plate Reorganization Events Since Pangea Breakup Open
We present a revised global plate motion model with continuously closing plate boundaries ranging from the Triassic at 230 Ma to the present day, assess differences among alternative absolute plate motion models, and review global tectonic…
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The redox “filter” beneath magmatic orogens and the formation of continental crust Open
Earth’s continents are formed through magmatic orogens.
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Oceanic residual depth measurements, the plate cooling model, and global dynamic topography Open
Convective circulation of the mantle causes deflections of the Earth's surface that vary as a function of space and time. Accurate measurements of this dynamic topography are complicated by the need to isolate and remove other sources of e…
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A Reactive Porous Flow Control on Mid-ocean Ridge Magmatic Evolution Open
Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) provide fundamental information about the composition and melting processes in the Earth’s upper mantle. To use MORB to further our understanding of the mantle, is imperative that their crustal evolution is w…
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Carbon Fluxes and Primary Magma CO<sub>2</sub>Contents Along the Global Mid‐Ocean Ridge System Open
The concentration of carbon in primary mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORBs), and the associated fluxes of CO 2 outgassed at ocean ridges, is examined through new data obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) on 753 globally distribute…
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Noble Gases: A Record of Earth's Evolution and Mantle Dynamics Open
Noble gases have played a key role in our understanding of the origin of Earth's volatiles, mantle structure, and long-term degassing of the mantle. Here we synthesize new insights into these topics gained from high-precision noble gas dat…
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Reassessing the Thermal Structure of Oceanic Lithosphere With Revised Global Inventories of Basement Depths and Heat Flow Measurements Open
Half‐space cooling and plate models of varying complexity have been proposed to account for changes in basement depth and heat flow as a function of lithospheric age in the oceanic realm. Here, we revisit this well‐known problem by exploit…
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Reconstructing Plate Boundaries in the Jurassic Neo‐Tethys From the East and West Vardar Ophiolites (Greece and Serbia) Open
Jurassic subduction initiation in the Neo‐Tethys Ocean eventually led to the collision of the Adria‐Africa and Eurasia continents and the formation of an ~6,000 km long Alpine orogen spanning from Iberia to Iran. Reconstructing the locatio…
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Progress in Deciphering the Controls on the Geochemistry of Fluids in Seafloor Hydrothermal Systems Open
Over the last four decades, more than 500 sites of seafloor hydrothermal venting have been identified in a range of tectonic environments. These vents represent the seafloor manifestation of hydrothermal convection of seawater through the …
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Consequences of a crystal mush-dominated magma plumbing system: a mid-ocean ridge perspective Open
Crystal mush is rapidly emerging as a new paradigm for the evolution of igneous systems. Mid-ocean ridges provide a unique opportunity to study mush processes: geophysical data indicate that, even at the most magmatically robust fast-sprea…
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Gravity anomalies, flexure and mantle rheology seaward of circum-Pacific trenches Open
We have used ensemble averages of satellite-derived free-air gravity anomaly data, together with inverse modelling techniques, to determine the effective elastic thickness, Te, of circum-Pacific subducting oceanic lithosphere and its relat…
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CO2 content beneath northern Iceland and the variability of mantle carbon Open
Primitive basalt melt inclusions from Borgarhraun, northern Iceland, display large correlated variations in CO2 and non-volatile incompatible trace elements (ITEs) such as Nb, Th, Rb, and Ba. The average CO2/ITE ratios of the Borgarhraun m…
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Episodic magmatism and serpentinized mantle exhumation at an ultraslow-spreading centre Open
Mid-ocean ridges spreading at ultraslow rates of less than 20 mm yr−1 can exhume serpentinized mantle to the seafloor, or they can produce magmatic crust. However, seismic imaging of ultraslow-spreading centres has not been able to resolve…
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Basalts and picrites from a plume-type ophiolite in the South Qilian Accretionary Belt, Qilian Orogen: Accretion of a Cambrian Oceanic Plateau? Open
Oceanic plateaus with high–Mg rocks in the present-day oceanic crust have attracted much attention for their proposed mantle-plume origins and abnormally high mantle potential temperatures (Tp). However, equivalent rocks in ancient oceanic…
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Postseafloor Spreading Volcanism in the Central East South China Sea and Its Formation Through an Extremely Thin Oceanic Crust Open
P wave velocity models were obtained by forward and inverse modeling from 38 ocean bottom seismometers deployed in the central East subbasin of the South China Sea (SCS). Four types of crust have been defined: (a) thin oceanic crust (6 km)…
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High seismic attenuation at a mid-ocean ridge reveals the distribution of deep melt Open
Seismic attenuation beneath a mid-ocean ridge indicates a deep, narrow column of mantle melt, implying buoyant upwelling.
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Partial Melting of Lower Oceanic Crust Gabbro: Constraints From Poikilitic Clinopyroxene Primocrysts Open
Successive magma batches underplate, ascend, stall and erupt along spreading ridges, building the oceanic crust. It is therefore important to understand the processes and conditions under which magma differentiates at mid ocean ridges. Alt…
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Time-progressive mantle-melt evolution and magma production in a Tethyan marginal sea: A case study of the Albanide-Hellenide ophiolites Open
We present a comprehensive overview of the melt evolution of the upper mantle peridotites and different lava types occurring in the Jurassic Albanide-Hellenide ophiolites, based on new and extant geochemical data and trace element modeling…
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Major influence of plume‐ridge interaction, lithosphere thickness variations, and global mantle flow on hotspot volcanism—The example of <span>T</span>ristan Open
Hotspot tracks are thought to originate when mantle plumes impinge moving plates. However, many observed cases close to mid‐ocean ridges do not form a single age‐progressive line, but vary in width, are separated into several volcanic chai…
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Constraining the maximum depth of brittle deformation at slow- and ultraslow-spreading ridges using microseismicity Open
The depth of earthquakes along mid-ocean ridges is restricted by the relatively thin brittle lithosphere that overlies a hot, upwelling mantle. With decreasing spreading rate, earthquakes may occur deeper in the lithosphere, accommodating …
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Archean cratonic mantle recycled at a mid-ocean ridge Open
Basalts and mantle peridotites of mid-ocean ridges are thought to sample Earth’s upper mantle. Osmium isotopes of abyssal peridotites uniquely preserve melt extraction events throughout Earth history, but existing records only indicate age…
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Sulfide resorption during crustal ascent and degassing of oceanic plateau basalts Open
Mantle plume-related magmas typically have higher chalcophile and siderophile element (CSE) contents than mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB). These differences are often attributed to sulfide-under-saturation of plume-related melts. However, b…
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The Atlantis Bank Gabbro Massif, Southwest Indian Ridge Open
This paper presents the first detailed geologic map of in situ lower ocean crust; the product of six surveys of Atlantis Bank on the SW Indian Ridge. This combined with major and trace element compositions of primary magmatic phases in 99 …
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Opening of the central Atlantic Ocean: Implications for geometric rifting and asymmetric initial seafloor spreading after continental breakup Open
Study of the deep structure of conjugate passive continental margins combined with detailed plate kinematic reconstructions can provide constraints on the mechanisms of rifting and formation of initial oceanic crust. In this study the cent…
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Effect of paleoseawater composition on hydrothermal exchange in midocean ridges Open
Significance Circulation of seawater through midocean ridges results in large-scale chemical transfer between the solid Earth and oceans. Driven by magmatic heat, seawater undergoes hydrothermal reactions that affect the concentrations of …
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Hydrothermal iron flux variability following rapid sea level changes Open
Sea level changes associated with Pleistocene glacial cycles have been hypothesized to modulate melt production and hydrothermal activity at ocean ridges, yet little is known about fluctuations in hydrothermal circulation on time scales lo…
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Insights Into the Causes of Arc Rifting From 2‐D Dynamic Models of Subduction Open
Back‐arc spreading centers initiate as fore‐arc or arc rifting events when extensional forces localize within lithosphere weakened by hydrous fluids or melting. Two models have been proposed for triggering fore‐arc/arc rifting: rollback of…
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Iron isotope fractionation during mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) evolution: Evidence from lavas on the East Pacific Rise at 10°30′N and its implications Open
Whether the Earth’s mantle has a chondritic δ56Fe (deviation in 56Fe/54Fe from the IRMM-014 standard in parts per thousand) value or not remains under debate. The current view is that the observed average δ56Fe of mid-ocean ridge basalts (…
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Afar triple junction triggered by plume-assisted bi-directional continental break-up Open
Divergent ridge-ridge-ridge (R-R-R) triple junctions are one of the most remarkable, yet largely enigmatic, features of plate tectonics. The juncture of the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates is a type-example of the early development st…
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Marine Mineral Exploration With Controlled Source Electromagnetics at the TAG Hydrothermal Field, 26°N Mid‐Atlantic Ridge Open
Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits are of increasing economic interest in order to satisfy the relentless growth in worldwide metal demand. The Trans‐Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) hydrothermal field at 26°N on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge host…