Anne Pommier

Electrical image of passive mantle upwelling beneath the northern East Pacific Rise.

Melt generated by mantle upwelling is fundamental to the production of new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges, yet the forces controlling this process are debated. Passive-flow models predict symmetric upwelling due to viscous drag from the diverging tectonic plates, but have been challenged by geophysical observations of asymmetric upwelling that suggest anomalous mantle pressure and temperature gradients, and by observations of concentrated upwelling centres consistent with active models where buoyancy forces give rise to focused convective flow. Here we use sea-floor magnetotelluric soundings at the fast-spreading northern East Pacific Rise to image mantle electrical structure to a depth of about 160 kilometres. Our data reveal a symmetric, high-conductivity region at depths of 20–90 kilometres that is consistent with partial melting of passively upwelling mantle. The triangular region of conductive partial melt matches passive-flow predictions, suggesting that melt focusing to the ridge occurs in the porous melting region rather than along the shallower base of the thermal lithosphere. A deeper conductor observed east of the ridge at a depth of more than 100 kilometres is explained by asymmetric upwelling due to viscous coupling across two nearby transform faults. Significant electrical anisotropy occurs only in the shallowest mantle east of the ridge axis, where high vertical conductivity at depths of 10–20 kilometres indicates localized porous conduits. This suggests that a coincident seismic-velocity anomaly is evidence of shallow magma transport channels rather than deeper off-axis upwelling. We interpret the mantle electrical structure as evidence that plate-driven passive upwelling dominates this ridge segment, with dynamic forces being negligible.

“SIGMELTS”: A web portal for electrical conductivity calculations in geosciences ☆

Abstract Electrical conductivity measurements in the laboratory are critical for interpreting geoelectric and magnetotelluric profiles of the Earths crust and mantle. In order to facilitate access to the current database on electrical conductivity of geomaterials, we have developed a freely available web application (SIGMELTS) dedicated to the calculation of electrical properties. Based on a compilation of previous studies, SIGMELTS computes the electrical conductivity of silicate melts, carbonatites, minerals, fluids, and mantle materials as a function of different parameters, such as composition, temperature, pressure, water content, and oxygen fugacity. Calculations on two-phase mixtures are also implemented using existing mixing models for different geometries. An illustration of the use of SIGMELTS is provided, in which calculations are applied to the subduction zone-related volcanic zone in the Central Andes. Along with petrological considerations, field and laboratory electrical data allow discrimination between the different hypotheses regarding the formation and rise from depth of melts and fluids and quantification of their storage conditions.

Laboratory measurements of electrical conductivities of hydrous and dry Mount Vesuvius melts under pressure

Quantitative interpretation of MT anomalies in volcanic regions requires laboratory measurements of electrical conductivities of natural magma compositions. The electrical conductivities of three lava compositions from Mt. Vesuvius (Italy) have been measured using an impedance spectrometer. Experiments were conducted on both glasses and melts between 400 and 1300°C, and both at ambient pressure in air and at high pressures (up to 400 MPa). Both dry and hydrous (up to 5.6 wt% H2O) melt compositions were investigated. A change of the conduction mechanism corresponding to the glass transition was systematically observed. The conductivity data were fitted by sample-specific Arrhenius laws on either side of Tg. The electrical conductivity increases with temperature and is higher in the order tephrite, phonotephrite to phonolite. For the three compositions investigated, increasing pressure decreases the conductivity, although the effect of pressure is relatively small. The three compositions investigated have similar activation volumes (ΔV=16-24 cm3/mol). Increasing the water content of the melt increases the conductivity. Comparison of activation energies (Ea) from conductivity and sodium diffusion, and use of the Nernst-Einstein relation allow sodium to be identified as the main charge carrier in our melts and presumably also in the corresponding glasses. Our data and those of previous studies highlight the correlation between the Arrhenius parameters Ea and σ0. A semi-empirical method allowing the determination of the electrical conductivity of natural magmatic liquids is proposed, in which the activation energy is modelled on the basis of the Anderson-Stuart model, σ0 being obtained from the compensation law and ΔV fitted from our experimental data. The model enables the electrical conductivity to be calculated for the entire range of melt compositions at Mt. Vesuvius and also predicts satisfactorily the electrical response of other melt compositions. Electrical conductivity data for Mt. Vesuvius melts and magmas are slightly lower than the electrical anomaly revealed by MT studies.

Methodological re-evaluation of the electrical conductivity of silicate melts

Abstract Electrical impedance measurements in the laboratory on silicate melts are used to interpret magnetotelluric anomalies. On the basis of 2- and 4-electrode measurements, we show that the influence of the electrodes of the 2-electrode system on the measured resistivity can be of significant importance for low-resistivity melts and increases with temperature. At 1400 °C, the resistivity of very conductive melts measured with two electrodes can reach six times the resistivity value measured with four electrodes. A short-circuit experiment is needed to correct the 2-electrode data. Electrodes contribution is also estimated for samples from other studies, for which the resistance of the electrical cell can be as high as the resistance of the sample. A correction of the resistivity data from the literature is proposed and values of the corresponding Arrhenian parameters are recommended.

Interpretation of Magnetotelluric Results Using Laboratory Measurements

Magnetotelluric (MT) surveying is a remote sensing technique of the crust and mantle based on electrical conductivity that provides constraints to our knowledge of the structure and composition of the Earth’s interior. This paper presents a review of electrical measurements in the laboratory applied to the understanding of MT profiles. In particular, the purpose of such a review is to make the laboratory technique accessible to geophysicists by pointing out the main caveats regarding a careful use of laboratory data to interpret electromagnetic profiles. First, this paper addresses the main issues of cross-spatial-scale comparisons. For brevity, these issues are restricted to reproducing in the laboratory the texture, structure of the sample as well as conditions prevailing in the Earth’s interior (pressure, temperature, redox conditions, time). Second, some critical scientific questions that have motivated laboratory-based interpretation of electromagnetic profiles are presented. This section will focus on the characterization of the presence and distribution of hydrogen in the Earth’s crust and mantle, the investigation of electrical anisotropy in the asthenosphere and the interpretation of highly conductive field anomalies. In a last section, the current and future challenges to improve quantitative interpretation of MT profiles are discussed. These challenges correspond to technical improvements in the laboratory and the field as well as the integration of other disciplines, such as petrology, rheology and seismology.

Experimental constraints on the electrical anisotropy of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system

The relative motion of lithospheric plates and underlying mantle produces localized deformation near the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary. The transition from rheologically stronger lithosphere to weaker asthenosphere may result from a small amount of melt or water in the asthenosphere, reducing viscosity. Either possibility may explain the seismic and electrical anomalies that extend to a depth of about 200 kilometres. However, the effect of melt on the physical properties of deformed materials at upper-mantle conditions remains poorly constrained. Here we present electrical anisotropy measurements at high temperatures and quasi-hydrostatic pressures of about three gigapascals on previously deformed olivine aggregates and sheared partially molten rocks. For all samples, electrical conductivity is highest when parallel to the direction of prior deformation. The conductivity of highly sheared olivine samples is ten times greater in the shear direction than for undeformed samples. At temperatures above 900 degrees Celsius, a deformed solid matrix with nearly isotropic melt distribution has an electrical anisotropy factor less than five. To obtain higher electrical anisotropy (up to a factor of 100), we propose an experimentally based model in which layers of sheared olivine are alternated with layers of sheared olivine plus MORB or of pure melt. Conductivities are up to 100 times greater in the shear direction than when perpendicular to the shear direction and reproduce stress-driven alignment of the melt. Our experimental results and the model reproduce mantle conductivity–depth profiles for melt-bearing geological contexts. The field data are best fitted by an electrically anisotropic asthenosphere overlain by an isotropic, high-conductivity lowermost lithosphere. The high conductivity could arise from partial melting associated with localized deformation resulting from differential plate velocities relative to the mantle, with subsequent upward melt percolation from the asthenosphere.

Geophysical evidence for melt in the deep lunar interior and implications for lunar evolution

Analysis of lunar laser ranging and seismic data has yielded evidence that has been interpreted to indicate a molten zone in the lowermost mantle overlying a fluid core. Such a zone provides strong constraints on models of lunar thermal evolution. Here we determine thermochemical and physical structure of the deep Moon by inverting lunar geophysical data (mean mass and moment of inertia, tidal Love number, and electromagnetic sounding data) in combination with phase-equilibrium computations. Specifically, we assess whether a molten layer is required by the geophysical data. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that a region with high dissipation located deep within the Moon is required to explain the geophysical data. This region is located within the mantle where the solidus is crossed at a depth of ∼1200 km (≥1600 ◦ C). Inverted compositions for the partially molten layer (150-200 km thick) are enriched in FeO and TiO2 relative to the surrounding mantle. The melt phase is neutrally buoyant at pressures of ∼4.5-4.6 GPa but contains less TiO2 (<15 wt %) than the Ti-rich (∼16 wt %) melts that produced a set of high-density primitive lunar magmas (density of 3.4 g/cm 3 ). Melt densities computed here range from 3.25 to 3.45 g/cm 3 bracketing the density of lunar magmas with moderate-to-high TiO2 contents. Our results are consistent with a model of lunar evolution in which the cumulate pile formed from crystallization of the magma ocean as it overturned, trapping heat-producing elements in the lower mantle.

Petrology‐based modeling of mantle melt electrical conductivity and joint interpretation of electromagnetic and seismic results

The presence of melt in the Earths interior depends on the thermal state, bulk chemistry, and dynamics. Therefore, the investigation of the physical and chemical properties of melt is a probe of the planets structure, dynamics, and potentially evolution. Here we explore melt properties by interpreting geophysical data sets sensitive to the presence of melt (electromagnetic and seismic) with considerations of petrology and, in particular, peridotite partial melting. We present a petrology-based model of the electrical conductivity of fertile and depleted peridotites during partial melting. Seismic and magnetotelluric (MT) studies do not necessarily agree on melt fraction estimates, a possible explanation being the assumptions made about melt chemistry as part of MT data interpretation. Melt fraction estimates from electrical anomalies usually assume a basaltic melt phase, whereas petrological knowledge suggests that the first liquids produced have a different chemistry, and thus a different conductivity. Our results show that melts produced by low-degree peridotite melting (< 15 vol %) are up to 5 times more conductive than basaltic liquids. Such conductive melts significantly affect bulk rock conductivity. Application of our electrical model to magnetotelluric results suggests melt fractions that are in good agreement with seismic estimates. With the aim of a simultaneous interpretation of electrical and seismic data, we combine our electrical results with seismic velocity considerations in a joint model of partial melting. Field electrical and seismic anomalies can be explained by ~1 vol % melt beneath Hawaii and ~1–8 vol % melt beneath the Afar Ridge.

A new petrological and geophysical investigation of the present-day plumbing system of Mount Vesuvius

A model of the electrical resistivity of Mt. Vesuvius has been elaborated to investigate the present structure of the volcanic edifice. The model is based on electrical conductivity measurements in the laboratory, on geophysical information, in particular, magnetotelluric (MT) data, and on petrological and geochemical constraints. Both 1-D and 3-D simulations explored the effect of depth, volume and resistivity of either one or two reservoirs in the structure. For each configuration tested, modeled MT transfer functions were compared to field transfer functions from field magnetotelluric studies. The field electrical data are reproduced with a shallow and very conductive layer (~0.5km depth, 1.2km thick, 5ohm.m resistive) that most likely corresponds to a saline brine present beneath the volcano. Our results are also compatible with the presence of cooling magma batches at shallow depths ( ~100ohm.m. According to a petro-physical conductivity model, such a resistivity value is in agreement either with a low-temperature, crystal-rich magma chamber or with a small quantity of hotter magma interconnected in the resistive surrounding carbonates. However, the low quality of MT field data at long periods prevent from placing strong constraints on a potential deep magma reservoir. A comparison with seismic velocity values tends to support the second hypothesis. Our findings would be consistent with a deep structure (8-10km depth) made of a tephriphonolitic magma at 1000°C, containing 3.5wt%H2O, 30vol.% crystals, and interconnected in carbonates in proportions ~45% melt - 55% carbonates.

Geophysical assessment of migration and storage conditions of fluids in subduction zones

By enhancing mass transfer and energy release, the cycle of volatiles and melt is a major component of subduction. Investigating this fluid cycle is therefore critical to understand the past and current activity of subduction zones. Fluids can significantly affect rock electrical conductivity and elastic parameters that are measured using electromagnetic and seismic methods, respectively. This letter emphasizes how these geophysical methods complement each other to provide information about the storage of fluids in subduction systems. By compiling electromagnetic and seismic results from various subduction zones, a possible correlation between electrical conductivity and seismic wave attenuation anomalies in the mantle wedge is observed, consistent with fluid accumulation. A possible relationship between geophysical properties and the slab age is also suggested, whereas no significant trend is observed between electrical conductivity or seismic wave attenuation and estimates of water flux in the mantle wedge. These field-based relationships require further constrains, emphasizing the need for new measurements in the laboratory.