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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Computational Approaches To Understanding Subduction Zone Geodynamics, Surface Heat Flow, And The Metamorphic Rock Record, Buchanan C. Kerswell
Computational Approaches To Understanding Subduction Zone Geodynamics, Surface Heat Flow, And The Metamorphic Rock Record, Buchanan C. Kerswell
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Pressure-temperature (PT) estimates from exhumed high-pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks and global surface heat flow observations evidently encode information about subduction zone thermal structure and the nature of mechanical and chemical processing of subducted materials along the interface between converging plates. Previous work demonstrates the possibility of decoding such geodynamic information by comparing numerical geodynamic models with empirical observations of surface heat flow and the metamorphic rock record. However, ambiguous interpretations can arise from this line of inquiry with respect to thermal gradients, plate coupling, and detachment and recovery of subducted materials. This dissertation applies a variety of computational techniques to …
Influence Of Bedrock Erodibility On Orogen Evolution In Collisional Systems And Implications For Geodynamic Models, Stephanie Ann Sparks
Influence Of Bedrock Erodibility On Orogen Evolution In Collisional Systems And Implications For Geodynamic Models, Stephanie Ann Sparks
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
Theoretical and numerical geodynamic models of continental collisional systems often involve, either explicitly or implicitly, a necessary yet complicated dependence between tectonics and erosion; however, the exact nature of these relationships remains elusive and controversial. In such models for the Himalayan-Tibetan (H-T) collisional orogen, surface processes are theorized or in some cases required to play an essential role in modulating critical processes active in the evolution of that system. To investigate, at least to first order. these interactions between climate and tectonics, we generate a simplified landscape evolution model of an actively uplifting orogenic wedge acted upon by surface processes. …
Analyzing Slab Holes In Subduction Zones And Their Impacts Through Numerical Simulations, Taylor M. Arrowood
Analyzing Slab Holes In Subduction Zones And Their Impacts Through Numerical Simulations, Taylor M. Arrowood
Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subduction zones form as higher density oceanic lithosphere is forced beneath an over-riding, lower density, continental or oceanic plate; a process driven by contrasts in buoyancy throughout this system. We seek to explore subduction zones in which the subducting lithosphere is discontinuous after passing through the trench, forming a slab gap. The main research objective is to determine the effect of slab gaps on surface topography in a subduction-related orogen and asthenospheric flow into the mantle wedge using two and three-dimensional numerical mechanical models. We obtain results from 24+ models that suggest a connection between slab gaps/holes and the magnitude …
Crustal Accretion And Mantle Geodynamics At Microplates: Constraints From Gravity Analysis And Numerical Modeling, Katherine Ames
Crustal Accretion And Mantle Geodynamics At Microplates: Constraints From Gravity Analysis And Numerical Modeling, Katherine Ames
OES Theses and Dissertations
This study investigates crustal accretion and mantle geodynamics at microplates using mantle Bouguer anomaly (MBA) gravity calculations and exploratory numerical models. The Easter and Juan Fernandez microplates are located in the eastern Pacific Ocean along the Pacific, Nazca, and Antarctic plate boundaries. Both microplates formed 3-5 Ma and they are currently rotating clockwise at 15° myr-1 and 9° myr-1,respectively [ e.g., Searle et al., 1993]. The study area also encompasses the Easter /Salas y Gomez mantle plume located near the Easter microplate. Both microplates show a difference in average MBA between their west and east ridges, with …
Gravity Anomalies Along The East Scotia Ridge: Constraining The Relative Importance Of Magmatic And Tectonic Controls On Crustal Accretion, Briton Lee Nicholson
Gravity Anomalies Along The East Scotia Ridge: Constraining The Relative Importance Of Magmatic And Tectonic Controls On Crustal Accretion, Briton Lee Nicholson
OES Theses and Dissertations
Similar to regions such as the Lau Basin and the Caribbean Sea, the eastern Scotia Sea is a geologically complex area that involves multiple plate boundary types. This study uses bathymetry and gravity data to infer upper mantle geodynamics in the eastern Scotia Sea region. Beneath this region is an intermediate-rate back-arc spreading center known as the East Scotia Ridge (ESR) that forms the boundary between the Scotia and Sandwich plates. To the east of the ESR are the South Sandwich island arc and the South Sandwich Trench. The ESR is a relatively young feature, with spreading estimated to have …
Gps Velocity Field In The Transition From Subduction To Collision Of The Eastern Sunda And Banda Arcs, Indonesia, Hendro Nugroho
Gps Velocity Field In The Transition From Subduction To Collision Of The Eastern Sunda And Banda Arcs, Indonesia, Hendro Nugroho
Theses and Dissertations
Campaign GPS measurements during 2001-2003 in the transition between subduction and collision of the Banda arc reveal how strain is partitioned away from the trench and distributed to other parts of the arc-trench system. Genrich, et. al. (1996) conducted a GPS campaign (1992-1994) throughout the Eastern Sunda and Banda arcs that demonstrated partial accretion of the arc to the Australian plate. We reoccupied many of the sites from this earlier study and 7 additional stations, 3 of which are new benchmarks. Our study shortened many baselines and extended the observation epoch to ten years for many key stations. The resulting …