Oceanic crustal thickness from seismic measurements and rare earth element inversions
- Cambridge Univ. (United Kingdom)
Seismic refraction results show that the igneous section of oceanic crust averages 7.1 [plus minus] 0.8 km thick away from anomalous regions such as fracture zones and hot-spots, with extremal bounds of 5.0-8.5 km. Rare earth element inversions of the melt distribution in the mantle source region suggest that sufficient melt is generated under normal oceanic spreading centers to produce an 8.3 [plus minus] 1.5 km thick igneous crust. The difference between the thickness estimates from seismics and from rare earth element inversions is not significant given the uncertainties in the mantle source composition. The inferred igneous thickness increases to 10.3 [plus minus] 1.7 km (seismic measurements) and 10.7 [plus minus] 1.6 km (rare earth element inversions) where spreading centers intersect the regions of hotter than normal mantle surrounding mantle plumes. This is consistent with melt generation by decompression of the hotter mantle as it rises beneath spreading centers. Maximum inferred melt volumes are found on aseismic ridges directly above the central rising cores of mantle plumes, and average 20 [plus minus] 1 and 18 [plus minus] 1 km for seismic profiles and rare earth element inversions respectively. Both seismic measurements and rare earth element inversions show evidence for variable local crustal thinning beneath fracture zones, though some basalts recovered from fracture zones are indistinguishable geochemically from those generated on normal ridge segments away from fracture zones. The authors attribute the decreased mantle melting on very slow-spreading ridges to the conductive heat loss that enables the mantle to cool as it rises beneath the rift.
- OSTI ID:
- 7093375
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 97:B13; ISSN 0148-0227
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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