Jun-ichi Ando

Trench-parallel anisotropy produced by serpentine deformation in the hydrated mantle wedge.

Seismic anisotropy is a powerful tool for detecting the geometry and style of deformation in the Earth’s interior, as it primarily reflects the deformation-induced preferred orientation of anisotropic crystals. Although seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle is generally attributed to the crystal-preferred orientation of olivine, the strong trench-parallel anisotropy (delay time of one to two seconds) observed in several subduction systems is difficult to explain in terms of olivine anisotropy, even if the entire mantle wedge were to act as an anisotropic source. Here we show that the crystal-preferred orientation of serpentine, the main hydrous mineral in the upper mantle, can produce the strong trench-parallel seismic anisotropy observed in subduction systems. High-pressure deformation experiments reveal that the serpentine c-axis tends to rotate to an orientation normal to the shear plane during deformation; consequently, seismic velocity propagating normal to the shear plane (plate interface) is much slower than that in other directions. The seismic anisotropy estimated for deformed serpentine aggregates is an order of magnitude greater than that for olivine, and therefore the alignment of serpentine in the hydrated mantle wedge results in a strong trench-parallel seismic anisotropy in the case of a steeply subducting slab. This hypothesis is also consistent with the presence of a hydrous phase in the mantle wedge, as inferred from anomalously low seismic-wave velocities.

Granular nanoparticles lubricate faults during seismic slip

Nanoparticles are known to form in narrow slip zones in natural and experimental fault zones, but their possible role in dynamic weakening of faults during seismic slip remains almost unexplored. We conducted friction experiments on periclase (MgO) nanoparticles (50 nm in average size) at rates as high as 1.3 m s −1 , a typical speed of seismic slip. The nanoparticles were used as the initial gouge to avoid complexities arising from comminution and fluid release. The dynamic friction decreased with increasing slip rate and the steady-state frictional coefficient reduced to as low as 0.1 at a slip rate of 1.3 m s −1 . Flash heating is not effective for nanoparticles, and we propose that development of slickensides and dominant operation of nanoparticle rolling cause such a weakening. Nanoparticle lubrication appears to be as effective as melt lubrication and thermal pressurization, and the formation of nanoparticles in slip zones may be an important fault lubrication process.

Seismic slip record in carbonate-bearing fault zones: An insight from high-velocity friction experiments on siderite gouge

Pseudotachylyte formed by frictional melting has been the only unequivocal evidence of past seismogenic fault slip. We report from high-velocity friction experiments on siderite-bearing gouge that mineral decomposition due to frictional heating also can leave evidence of paleoseismic events along shallow crustal faults other than pseudotachylyte. Experiments were conducted room dry on simulated gouge composed of siderite or mixture of siderite, calcite, and quartz, initially at room temperature, under normal stresses of 0.6–1.3 MPa and at seismic slip rates of 1.3–2.0 m/s. In all cases, gouge exhibited dramatic slip weakening and siderite was decomposed into nanocrystalline magnetite and CO 2 gas, as confirmed by CO 2 measurement, X-ray diffraction analyses, and transmission electron microscopy. The weakening was caused by the low frictional strength of ultrafine decomposition products at seismic slip rates. Magnetite formation during shearing changed gouge color to black and increased magnetic susceptibility by a few orders of magnitude. Those changes can be recognized in natural fault zones, and black gouge in the Chelungpu fault zone in Taiwan is perhaps such an example. Thus our results suggest that thermal decomposition in shallow crustal faults can be an important co-seismic process not only for dynamic fault weakening, but also for leaving seismic slip records.

High‐pressure phase transformation in CaMgSi2O6 and implications for origin of ultra‐deep diamond inclusions

The decomposition of diopside to CaSiO3 cubic and MgSiO3 orthorhombic perovskites was demonstrated by in situ X-ray diffraction measurements under simultaneous high pressure and high temperature conditions, using a combination of synchrotron radiation and a multianvil apparatus at SPring-8. Quench experiments also confirmed the decomposition of diopside in a wide temperature range of 1000–1900°C and at pressures 23–27GPa. These results strongly support the idea that some mineral inclusions with pyroxene stoichiometry discovered in natural diamonds may have been originated from the lower mantle. Moreover, observed temperature dependence of MgSiO3 content dissolved in CaSiO3 perovskite suggests that some of the inclusions were formed at relatively low temperatures (<1200°C) in the deep mantle, presumably related to slab subductions.

Striped iron zoning of olivine induced by dislocation creep in deformed peridotites.

Deformation of solid materials affects not only their microstructures, but also their microchemistries. Although chemical unmixing of initially homogeneous multicomponent solids is known to occur during deformation by diffusion creep, there has been no report on their chemical zoning due to deformation by dislocation creep, in either natural samples or laboratory experiments. Here we report striped iron zoning of olivine ((Mg,Fe)2SiO4) in deformed peridotites, where the iron concentration increases at subgrain boundaries composed of edge dislocations. We infer that this zoning is probably formed by alignment of edge dislocations dragging a so-called Cottrell ‘atmosphere’ of solute atoms (iron in this case) into subgrain boundaries during deformation of the olivine by dislocation creep. We have found that the iron zoning does not develop in laboratory experiments of high strain rates where dislocations move too fast to drag the Cottrell atmosphere. This phenomenon might have important implications for the generation of deep-focus earthquakes, as transformation of olivine to high-pressure phases preferentially occurs in high-iron regions, and therefore along subgrain boundaries which would be preferentially aligned in plastically deformed mantle peridotites.

Frictional melting of clayey gouge during seismic fault slip: Experimental observation and implications

Clayey gouges are common in fault slip zones at shallow depths. Thus, the fault zone processes and frictional behaviors of the gouges are critical to understanding seismic slip at these depths. We conducted rotary shear tests on clayey gouge (~41 wt % clay minerals) at a seismic slip rate of 1.3 m/s. Here we report that the gouge was melted at 5 MPa of normal stress and room humidity conditions. The initial local melting was followed by melt layer formation. Clay minerals (e.g., smectite and illite) and plagioclase were melted and quenched to glass with numerous vesicles. Both flash heating and bulk temperature increases appear to be responsible for the melting. This observation of clayey gouge melting is comparable to that of natural faults (e.g., Chelungpu fault, Taiwan). Due to heterogeneous fault zone properties (e.g., permeability), frictional melting may be one of the important processes in clayey slip zones at shallow depths.

Frictional strength of ground dolerite gouge at a wide range of slip rates

We conducted a series of rotary-shear friction experiments on ground dolerite gouges, in which the amount of adsorbed moisture increases with grinding time (tgr), at room temperature and humidity, a normal stress of 2 MPa, and constant equivalent slip rates (Veqs) ranging from 20 µm/s to 1.3 m/s. Their frictional strength changed with Veq and tgr in three different ways depending on Veq and the gouge temperature (T). At Veq ≤ 1.3 cm/s, T did not exceed 80°C, and the steady state friction coefficient (μss) ranged from 0.59 to 0.80. μss changes little with Veq, while μss at a given Veq systematically increases with tgr probably due to moisture-adsorbed strengthening of gouges. At Veq = 4 cm/s, T exceeded 100°C, and dehydration of gouges resulted in roughly the same μss values (0.60–0.66) among gouges with different periods of tgr. At Veq ≥ 13 cm/s, T reached 160–500°C, and μss dramatically decreases with Veq to 0.08–0.26 at Veq = 1.3 m/s, while μss at a given Veq systematically decreases with tgr. At these fast Veqs, dehydration of gouges likely occurred too fast for water vapor to completely escape out from the gouge layer. Therefore, faster dehydration at faster Veq possibly resulted in a larger pore pressure increase and lower frictional strength. In addition, because gouges with longer periods of tgr contain larger amounts of adsorbed moisture, they became weaker due to larger increases in pore pressure and hence larger amounts of reduction in frictional strength.

Deformation history of Pinatubo peridotite xenoliths: constraints from microstructural observation and determination of olivine slip systems

Abstract The deformation history of the Pinatubo peridotite xenoliths was estimated on the basis of the microstructural observations and the determination of olivine slip systems. The latter was performed by using three methods: lattice-preferred orientation (LPO), crystallographic analysis of subgrain boundaries, and direct characterization of dislocations. The Pinatubo peridotites are composed of coarse olivine grains containing numerous fluid inclusions and some fine aggregates of orthopyroxene and amphibole grains, which implies intense fluid–rock interaction. The development of euhedral fine recrystallized olivine grains along the healed cracks within the coarse olivine grains suggests that the strain-free grains were nucleated and grew during static recovery. The LPO patterns and the analyses of subgrain boundaries indicate the activation of a [100]{0kl} slip system that developed under high temperature, low pressure, and dry deformation conditions. Although dislocations showing the [100]{0kl} slip system are dominantly observed, the other slip systems which could be formed by the deformation under moderate–high water content and lower-temperature conditions are also developed. The discrepancy between the results of dislocation characterization and the other two methods might have been caused by fulfilling the von Mises criterion or overprinting dislocation microstructures. Either way, the possible deformation history of the Pinatubo peridotites can be explained by the following scenario. The peridotites plastically moved from the back-arc to the fore-arc adjacent region, where CO2-rich saline fluid was trapped, by the corner flow of a mantle wedge. They were then annealed and metasomatized during entrapment of the upwelling magma.