This thesis is an investigation into biogenic sulfide oxidation and sulfate reduction associated with hydrothermal systems at oceanic spreading centers. First, the production of sulfur floc and 'snowblower' events due to sulfide oxidizing bacteria is investigated. The effects of sulfur floc on the pososity is shown to be negligible. 'Snowblower' events are shown to be sulfur floc that is stored over long periods of time mixed with a component of sulfur floc being created in a bloom event. Secondly, biogenic sulfate reduction in hydrothermal recharge zones is investigated and the effects on the concentration profiles is considered.

This thesis discusses the results from the first multi-source and multi-streamer three-dimensional multichannel seismic experiment conducted over a mid-ocean ridge environment. Prestack time migration was applied to the dataset resulting in the most detailed reflection images of a spreading center and its flanks to date. The key products from this work are maps of crustal velocities, crustal thickness, and Moho transition zone (MTZ) reflection character for a section of the fast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) from 9°37.5’N to 9°57’N, excluding the area from 9°40’N to 9°42’N where no data were collected. Moho reflections were imaged within ~92% of the study area. The derived average crustal thickness and average crustal velocity for the investigated ~880 km2 area are 5920±320 m and 6320±290 m/s, respectively. The average crustal thickness varies little from Pacific to Cocos plate suggesting mostly uniform crustal production in the last ~180 Ka. Detailed analysis of the crustal thickness and MTZ reflection character shows that the third-order segmentation is governed by melt extraction processes within the uppermost mantle while the fourth-order ridge segmentation arises from mid- to upper-crustal processes. This analysis also suggests that both the mechanism of lower-crustal accretion and the volume of melt delivered to the crust vary along the investigated section of the EPR. More efficient mantle melt extraction is inferred at latitudes from 9°42’N to 9°51.5’N, with greater proportion of the lower crust accreted from the AML than for the rest of the study area. Larger volume of melt is delivered to the crust from 9°37.5’N to 9°40’N than to the investigated crust further north. At some locations, the Moho reflections are for the first time unambiguously imaged below the AML away from any ridge discontinuity suggesting that the Moho is formed at zero age at least at some sections of the spreading centers. The first study of the melt content of mid-crustal off-axis magma lenses (OAML), done using amplitude variation with offset technique calibrated for a magmatic plumbing system, shows that these magma bodies contain 0 to 20% melt. This suggests that OAMLs likely contribute little to the overall crustal formation.

Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Marine electromagnetic (EM) geophysics is an up-and-coming branch of the geosciences that is allowing for the advancement in our understanding of key properties of the oceanic lithosphere and subduction dynamics, particularly in how deformation manifests geophysically and how it evolves through time and under various conditions. This dissertation focuses on two unique marine EM data sets collected at the Hikurangi subduction zone, New Zealand, and on 33 Ma Pacific lithosphere. Analysis of the former, which constitutes the bulk of this dissertation, offers the first kilometer-scale characterization of offshore, margin-wide electrical resistivity variations at a subduction zone and provides an electrical framework for discussing the potential causes of along-strike differences in megathrust slip at the Hikurangi Margin. The latter data set is used to constrain electrical anisotropy of the shallow lithosphere, which enables an interpretation of the deformation history of normal oceanic lithosphere. Chapter 2 of this dissertation gives a brief overview of the physical underpinnings of EM methods with attention given to the marine magnetotelluric (MT) and controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) methods. Maxwell's equations are reviewed and the relevant derivations leading to the temporal and spatial behavior of EM waves for the frequencies used in this dissertation (~0.001--0.1 Hz) are presented. Chapter 3 focuses on the tectonic background of the Hikurangi Margin and on processing of the MT and CSEM data. Interest in the Hikurangi Margin has arisen both because of its proximity to the inhabitants of New Zealand and due to the recognition of several properties that vary along the strike of the margin. The most intriguing of those variations, and most concerning from a natural hazard perspective, are the along-strike change in interseismic coupling and slow slip event (SSE) occurrence, with stronger coupling and deeper, infrequent SSEs realized in the southern Hikurangi Margin and weaker coupling and shallower, more frequent SSEs in the north. Several proposed causes of these variations are cited, including differences in sediment thickness and roughness of the incoming plate, changes in the plate interface geometry, and the effect of geological terranes in the forearc on pore pressure. But the degree to which any or all of these factors affect interseismic coupling remains an open question. The remainder of Chapter 3 is devoted to detailing the steps involved in processing the marine MT and CSEM data. A workflow for optimizing MT response function estimation is presented and improvements to the marine CSEM processing scheme are described. In Chapter 4 of this dissertation, inversions of the data collected at the southern Hikurangi Margin are presented, and these resistivity models are compared with co-located seismic data. Individual inversions of the CSEM and MT data along with joint inversion of the two data sets highlights the distinct sensitivities and resolving capabilities of each data type. A thick (4--6 km) sediment package covers the Hikurangi Plateau of the incoming plate. The plateau itself is evident as a dipping resistor (>10 Ω-m) that approximately corresponds with the seismically interpreted depth of the Hikurangi Plateau. Resistors in the shallow forearc are interpreted as free gas or gas hydrate, which is prevalent at the Hikurangi Margin. A resistive anomaly beneath one of two main ridges appears to comprise the footwall of a thrust fault, which potentially implies a high permeability system that allows for preferential dewatering of the footwall. Using available P-wave velocity data for this region, equations relating resistivity to velocity are derived. The resistivity presented in Chapter 4 and Archie's law are used to derive porosity models of the southern Hikurangi profile in Chapter 5. Vertical compaction is shown to dominate trends in porosity. A reference compaction porosity model is approximated and removed from the resistivity-derived porosity model in order to identify porosity trends distinct from compaction. A deepening in the negative porosity anomaly of the shallow incoming plate sediments as they approach the trench suggests these sediments experience compression several kilometers seaward of the main frontal thrust. This could represent the early stages of protothrust zone development. An increasingly positive porosity anomaly observed in the sedimentary unit just above the Hikurangi Plateau as it nears the trench may indicate heightened fluid overpressures in an incipient décollement. In Chapter 6 of this dissertation, inversions of the central Hikurangi Margin are shown and discussed. Compared to resistivity in the southern Hikurangi Margin, the forearc and incoming plate of the central Hikurangi Margin are more complex in their resistivity structure, possibly due to the impact of rougher seafloor. Extensive evidence for free gas or gas hydrates is found as shallow resistive anomalies in these models. Other anomalous resistors may correspond to exhumed terranes in the forearc. Anomalous forearc conductors could indicate sediment underplating or damage zones associated with subducting topography. Chapter 7 shows the resistivity and porosity of the northern Hikurangi Margin and offers the first detailed electrical image of a seamount prior to and during subduction. The seamount on the incoming plate is shown to have a thin, resistive cap that traps a conductive matrix of porous volcaniclastics and altered material over a resistive core. Again applying Archie's law to estimate porosity from resistivity reveals that the seamount will allow ~3.2--4.7x more water than normal, unfaulted oceanic lithosphere to subduct with the seamount. In the forearc, a sharp, resistive peak on the slab is interpreted as the core of a subducting seamount. This cone of high resistivity lies directly beneath a prominent conductive anomaly in the upper plate. Burst-type repeating earthquakes and other seismicity from a recent SSE cluster in and around this conductive anomaly, which seems to implicate the subducting seamount in the generation of fluid-rich damage zones in the forearc. The interaction of the subducting topography with the upper plate will thus alter the effective normal stress at the plate interface by modulating fluid overpressure. The results in this chapter show that subducting topography can transport large volumes of water to the forearc and that such topography is able to severely modify the structure and physical conditions of the upper plate, which may influence the location and timing of SSEs. Finally, Chapter 8 provides a robust constraint on the electrical azimuthal anisotropy of oceanic lithosphere. The data for this chapter were collected in a region of oceanic lithosphere removed from the influence of plate boundaries and intraplate volcanism. The survey design was chosen to maximize azimuthal coverage so as to constrain the directional dependence of resistivity. Inversions of the data resulted in an anisotropic resistivity model wherein the crust is ~18-36x more conductive in the paleo mid-ocean ridge direction than the perpendicular paleo-spreading direction. In the uppermost mantle conductivity is ~29x higher in the paleo-spreading direction. The crustal anisotropy is interpreted to result from sub-vertical porosity created by ridge parallel normal faulting during extension of the young crust and thermal stress-driven cracking from cooling of mature crust. Anisotropy in the uppermost mantle implies that shearing of mantle olivine during plate formation generates a strong electrical signal that is preserved as the plate ages. Reanalysis of EM data collected offshore Nicaragua suggests that the Pacific Plate electrical anisotropy is not a local anomaly but rather may be prevalent throughout oceanic lithosphere.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2001. / "September 2001." Vita. Page 223 blank. / Includes bibliographical references. / This thesis studies interactions between mid-ocean ridges and mantle plumes using geophysics, geochemistry, and geodynamical modeling. Chapter 1 investigates the effects of the Marion and Bouvet hotspots on the ultra-slow spreading, highly-segmented Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). Gravity data indicate that both Marion and Bouvet impart high-amplitude mantle Bouguer anomaly lows to the ridge axis, and suggest that long-offset transforms may diminish along-axis plume flow. Building upon this observation, Chapter 2 presents a series of 3D numerical models designed to quantify the sensitivity of along-axis plume-driven mantle flow to transform offset length, spreading rate, and mantle viscosity structure. The calculations illustrate that long-offset transforms in ultra-slow spreading environments may significantly curtail plume dispersion. Chapter 3 investigates helium isotope systematics along the western SWIR as well as near a global array of hotspots. The first part of this study reports uniformly low 3He/4He ratios of 6.3-7.3 R/Ra along the SWIR from 9⁰-24⁰E, compared to values of 8 +/- 1 Ra for normal mid-ocean ridge basalt. The favored explanation for these low values is addition of (U+Th) into the mantle source by crustal and/or lithospheric recycling. Although high He/4He values have been observed along the SWIR near Bouvet Island to the west, there is no evidence for elevated 3He/4He ratios along this section of the SWIR. The second part of Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between 3He/4He ratios and geophysical indicators of plume robustness for nine hotspots. / (cont.) A close correlation between a plume's flux and maximum 3He/4He ratio suggests a link between plume upwelling strength and origination in the deep, relatively undegassed mantle. Chapter 4 studies 3D mantle flow and temperature patterns beneath oceanic ridge-ridge-ridge triple junctions (TJs). In non-hotspot-affected TJs with geometry similar to the Rodrigues TJ, temperature and upwelling velocity along the slowest-spreading of the three ridges are predicted to increase within a few hundred kilometers of the TJ, to approach those of the fastest-spreading ridge. Along the slowest-spreading branch in hotspot-affected TJs such as the Azores, a strong component of along-axis flow directed away from the TJ is predicted to advect a hotspot thermal anomaly away from its deep-seated source. / by Jennifer E. Georgen. / Ph.D.

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-69). / Methods which measure seafloor resistivity are uniquely suited to studying hydrothermal circulation in the crust. The magnetometric resistivity (MMR) technique is a galvanic method which uses a bipole current source with a magnetometer receiver. The resistivity of the subsurface can be estimated from the magnetic field read in MMR. In order to analyze and invert MMR data taken near Mid Ocean Ridges, it is important to understand the effects of ridge topography on MMR models. To analyze these effects a 3D MMR forward modeling program MMR3Df̲wd is used to model Mid Ocean Ridges with varying slopes, resistivities, and source/receiver geometries. The modeled magnetic fields are compared with models with a flat seafloor to determine the impact of the ridge topography. Results show that for some of the ridges modeled, the effects of the topography were significant, suggesting that in some instances it is important to include ridge topography in forward models to obtain accurate results from data inversion. / by Lisa A. Lassner. / S.M.

No description available.

Thesis: Ph. D., Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 173-186). / This thesis investigates the long-term evolution of rift-bounding normal faults. To first order, the observed diversity of extensional tectonic styles reflects differences in the maximum offset that can be accommodated on individual faults during their life span. My main objective is to develop a theoretical framework that explains these differences in terms of a few key mechanical and geological controls. I start by laying out the energy cost associated with slip on a normal fault, which consists of (1) overcoming the frictional resistance on the fault, (2) bending the faulted layer and (3) sustaining the growth of topography. In Chapter 2, I propose that flexural rotation of the active fault plane enables faults to evolve along a path of minimal energy, thereby enhancing their life span. Flexural rotation occurs more rapidly in thinner faulted layers, and can potentially explain the wide range of normal fault dips documented with focal mechanisms. In Chapter 3, I show that surface processes can enhance the life span of continental normal faults by reducing the energy cost associated with topography buildup. In Chapter 4, I focus on lithospheric bending induced by fault growth, which is well described by elasto-plastic flexure models. I demonstrate that numerical models that treat the lithosphere as a visco-plastic solid can properly predict fault evolution only when the rate-dependent viscous flexural wavelength of the lithosphere is accommodated within the numerical domain. In Chapter 5, I consider the interplay of faulting and crustal emplacement at a slow mid-ocean ridge. I show that a depth-variable rate of magma emplacement can reconcile the formation of long-lived detachment faults, which requires a moderate melt supply, and the exhumation of large volumes of lower crustal material. Finally, in Chapter 6 I investigate the three-dimensional interactions between normal faults in a lithosphere of varying thickness. I suggest that large along-axis gradients in lithospheric thickness can prevent the growth of continuous faults along-axis, and instead decouple the modes of faulting at the segment center and at the segment end. / by Jean-Arthur Louis Olive. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. / The origin of symmetric alternating magnetic polarity stripes on the seafloor is investigated in two marine environments; along the ridge axis of the fast spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) (90 25'-90 55'N) and at Kane Megamullion (KMM) (230 40'N), near the intersection of the slow-spreading Mid Atlantic Ridge with Kane Transform Fault. Marine magnetic anomalies and magnetic properties of seafloor samples are combined to characterize the magnetic source layer in both locations. The EPR study suggests that along-axis variations in the observed axial magnetic anomaly result from changing source layer thickness alone, consistent with observed changes in seismic Layer 2a. The extrusive basalts of the upper crust therefore constitute the magnetic source layer along the ridge axis and long term crustal accretion patterns are reflected in the appearance of the axial anomaly. At KMM the C2r.2r/C2An. In (- 2.581 Ma) polarity reversal boundary cuts through lower crust (gabbro) and upper mantle (serpentinized peridotites) rocks exposed by a detachment fault on the seafloor, indicating that these lithologies can systematically record a magnetic signal. Both lithologies have stable remanent magnetization, capable of contributing to the magnetic source layer. The geometry of the polarity boundary changes from the northern to the central regions of KMM and is believed to be related to changing lithology. In the northern region, interpreted to be a gabbro pluton, the boundary dips away from the ridge axis and is consistent with a rotated conductively cooled isotherm. In the central region the gabbros have been removed and the polarity boundary, which resides in serpentinized peridotite, dips towards the ridge axis and is thought to represent an alteration front. The linear appearance of the polarity boundary across both regions indicates that the two lithologies acquired their magnetic remanence during approximately the same time interval. Seismic events caused by detachment faulting at Kane and Atlantis Transform Faults are investigated using hydroacoustic waves (T-phases) recorded by a hydrophone array. Observations and ray trace models of event propagation show bathymetric blockage along propagation paths, but suggest current models of T-phase excitation and propagation need to be improved to explain observed characteristics of T-phase data. / by Clare Margaret Williams. / Ph.D.