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The Role Of Crustal Fluids In Strike-Slip Tectonics: New Insights From Magnetotelluric Studies, Martyn Unsworth

Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences

The presence of fluids in the Earth's crust can dramatically change the rheology and may control a wide range of tectonic processes, especially in regions characterized by strike-slip deformation. Fluids such as water and partial melt change the electrical resistivity of the subsurface and may be detected through geophysical techniques that remotely sense electrical resistivity. For imaging to crustal and upper mantle depths, the most useful technique is magnetotellurics (MT) that uses natural electromagnetic waves as an energy source. Magnetotelluric studies of the Tibetan Plateau have detected a widespread mid-crustal layer of partial melting across almost the entire north-south extent …