Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn
Other Authors: Nobumichi Shimizu, Gregory Hirth and Henry J.B. Dick.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/42281
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42281
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author Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn
author2 Nobumichi Shimizu, Gregory Hirth and Henry J.B. Dick.
author_facet Nobumichi Shimizu, Gregory Hirth and Henry J.B. Dick.
Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn
author_sort Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn
collection MIT
description Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007.
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spelling mit-1721.1/422812022-01-14T20:14:28Z Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn Nobumichi Shimizu, Gregory Hirth and Henry J.B. Dick. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics. Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Ocean bottom Core-mantle boundary Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Includes bibliographical references. I provide constraints on mantle convection through observations of the rheology and composition of the oceanic upper mantle. Convection cannot be directly observed, yet is a fundamental part of the plate tectonic cycle. Relative motion among plates is accommodated by localized deformation at their boundaries. I demonstrate that in the ductile regime, strain localization occurs when different mineral phases are mixed together, limiting grain annealing. Upper mantle flow is by dislocation creep, resulting in seismic anisotropy due to mineral alignment. I use a shear zone in the Josephine Peridotite to quantify the relationship between mineral orientation and shear strain, providing an improved framework for the interpretation of seismic anisotropy. The upper mantle is generally assumed to be homogeneous in composition. From detailed isotopic and chemical analyses of abyssal peridotites from the Southwest Indian Ridge, I show that the mantle is heterogeneous at a range of length-scales. Abyssal peridotites recovered at ocean ridges are generally interpreted as the depleted residues of melt extraction. I find that melt-rock reaction is a significant part of the melt extraction process, modifying the composition of the lithospheric mantle. The generation of heterogeneous lithosphere provides a source for asthenospheric heterogeneity, via subduction and mantle convection. by Jessica Mendelsohn Warren. Ph.D. 2009-07-01T16:44:58Z 2009-07-01T16:44:58Z 2007 2007 Thesis http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/42281 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42281 231851957 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/42281 http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 282 p. application/pdf e------ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics.
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Ocean bottom
Core-mantle boundary
Warren, Jessica Mendelsohn
Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title_full Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title_fullStr Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title_full_unstemmed Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title_short Geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
title_sort geochemical and rheological constraints on the dynamics of the oceanic upper mantle
topic Joint Program in Marine Geology and Geophysics.
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Ocean bottom
Core-mantle boundary
url http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/42281
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/42281
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