DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES
A new concept is proposed concerning the origin and inception of ‘initial’ faults and formation of large blocks as a result of cooling of the Archaean lithosphere, during which Benard cells had formed (Fig. 5). At locations where cooling convection currents went down, partial crystallization took pl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Institute of the Earth's crust
2015-10-01
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| Series: | Геодинамика и тектонофизика |
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| Online Access: | https://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/168 |
| _version_ | 1797855824810344448 |
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| author | Semen I. Sherman |
| author_facet | Semen I. Sherman |
| author_sort | Semen I. Sherman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A new concept is proposed concerning the origin and inception of ‘initial’ faults and formation of large blocks as a result of cooling of the Archaean lithosphere, during which Benard cells had formed (Fig. 5). At locations where cooling convection currents went down, partial crystallization took place, stresses were localized, and initial fault occurred there. The systems of such fault developed mainly in two directions and gradually formed an initial block pattern of the lithosphere. This pattern is now represented by the largest Archaean faults acting as boundaries of the lithospheric plates and large intraplate blocks (Fig. 6). This group of faults represents the first scaletime level of destruction of the lithosphere. Large blocks of the first (and may be the second) order, which are located on the viscous foundation, interacted with each other under the influence of the sublithospheric movements or endogenous sources and thus facilitated the occurrence of high stresses inside the blocks. When the limits of strength characteristics of the block medium were exceeded, the intrablock stresses were released and caused formation of fractures/faults and blocks of various ranks (Fig. 14). This large group, including faultblock structures of various ranks and ages, comprises the second level of the scaletime destruction of the lithosphere.The intense evolution of ensembles of faults and blocks of the second scaletime level is facilitated by shortterm activation of faultblock structures of the lithosphere under the influence of strain waves. Periods of intensive shortterm activation are reliably detected by seismic monitoring over the past fifty years. Investigations of periodical processes specified in the geological records over the post-Proterozoic periods [Khain, Khalilov, 2009] suggest that in so far uninvestigated historical and more ancient times, the top of the lithosphere was subject to wave processes that influenced the metastable state of the faultblock medium of the lithosphere.At the second scale-time level, the lithosphere is destructed in accordance with the laws of destruction of elastic and brittle bodies; at all hierarchical levels, the lithospheric destruction complies with the similarity patterns; the lithospheric destruction processes are characterized by fractality and take place synchronously with other destruction processes.Equations of the fault (7) and block divisibility (8) of the lithosphere and the generalized equation (9) of the faultblock divisibility of lithosphere are proposed.By the present stage of the geodynamic evolution of the Earth, the horizontally-layered zonal pattern of destruction of the Earth has been established (Fig. 15). The next step would be obtaining the knowledge of the law that governs the evolution of the lithospheric destruction as a whole. The subjects for discussions hold be variations of the rheological properties of the vertical profile of the lithosphere, impacts of the time factor on the rheological and mechanical properties, and, lastly, the initial heterogeneity of the lithospheric medium in combination with modern geodynamic processes. This problem is solvable, and its importance for practical applications is undubitable. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:29:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b00e7654b3b24503b4441b0c12ffb9fd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2078-502X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T20:29:13Z |
| publishDate | 2015-10-01 |
| publisher | Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Institute of the Earth's crust |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Геодинамика и тектонофизика |
| spelling | doaj.art-b00e7654b3b24503b4441b0c12ffb9fd2023-03-30T20:08:01ZengRussian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Institute of the Earth's crustГеодинамика и тектонофизика2078-502X2015-10-013431534410.5800/GT-2012-3-4-0077166DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIESSemen I. Sherman0Institute of the Earth’s Crust, SB RASA new concept is proposed concerning the origin and inception of ‘initial’ faults and formation of large blocks as a result of cooling of the Archaean lithosphere, during which Benard cells had formed (Fig. 5). At locations where cooling convection currents went down, partial crystallization took place, stresses were localized, and initial fault occurred there. The systems of such fault developed mainly in two directions and gradually formed an initial block pattern of the lithosphere. This pattern is now represented by the largest Archaean faults acting as boundaries of the lithospheric plates and large intraplate blocks (Fig. 6). This group of faults represents the first scaletime level of destruction of the lithosphere. Large blocks of the first (and may be the second) order, which are located on the viscous foundation, interacted with each other under the influence of the sublithospheric movements or endogenous sources and thus facilitated the occurrence of high stresses inside the blocks. When the limits of strength characteristics of the block medium were exceeded, the intrablock stresses were released and caused formation of fractures/faults and blocks of various ranks (Fig. 14). This large group, including faultblock structures of various ranks and ages, comprises the second level of the scaletime destruction of the lithosphere.The intense evolution of ensembles of faults and blocks of the second scaletime level is facilitated by shortterm activation of faultblock structures of the lithosphere under the influence of strain waves. Periods of intensive shortterm activation are reliably detected by seismic monitoring over the past fifty years. Investigations of periodical processes specified in the geological records over the post-Proterozoic periods [Khain, Khalilov, 2009] suggest that in so far uninvestigated historical and more ancient times, the top of the lithosphere was subject to wave processes that influenced the metastable state of the faultblock medium of the lithosphere.At the second scale-time level, the lithosphere is destructed in accordance with the laws of destruction of elastic and brittle bodies; at all hierarchical levels, the lithospheric destruction complies with the similarity patterns; the lithospheric destruction processes are characterized by fractality and take place synchronously with other destruction processes.Equations of the fault (7) and block divisibility (8) of the lithosphere and the generalized equation (9) of the faultblock divisibility of lithosphere are proposed.By the present stage of the geodynamic evolution of the Earth, the horizontally-layered zonal pattern of destruction of the Earth has been established (Fig. 15). The next step would be obtaining the knowledge of the law that governs the evolution of the lithospheric destruction as a whole. The subjects for discussions hold be variations of the rheological properties of the vertical profile of the lithosphere, impacts of the time factor on the rheological and mechanical properties, and, lastly, the initial heterogeneity of the lithospheric medium in combination with modern geodynamic processes. This problem is solvable, and its importance for practical applications is undubitable.https://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/168lithospheredestructionfaultfaultblock structureparametersbenard cells |
| spellingShingle | Semen I. Sherman DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES Геодинамика и тектонофизика lithosphere destruction fault faultblock structure parameters benard cells |
| title | DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES |
| title_full | DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES |
| title_fullStr | DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES |
| title_full_unstemmed | DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES |
| title_short | DESTRUCTION OF THE LITHOSPHERE: FAULTBLOCK DIVISIBILITY AND ITS TECTONOPHYSICAL REGULARITIES |
| title_sort | destruction of the lithosphere faultblock divisibility and its tectonophysical regularities |
| topic | lithosphere destruction fault faultblock structure parameters benard cells |
| url | https://www.gt-crust.ru/jour/article/view/168 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT semenisherman destructionofthelithospherefaultblockdivisibilityanditstectonophysicalregularities |