| Publications | | » | 41. R2K Advances in Seismic Imaging Oceanography, 2012
 | | » | 40. R2K Seismic Studies Oceanography, 2012
 | | » | 39. Melt bodies off the EPR Nature Geoscience, 2012
 | | » | 38. JdF Plate: Gravity structure G-cubed, 2011
 | | » | 37. JdF Plate: Layer 2B structure G-cubed, 2011
 | | » | 36. Kane waveform tomography GRL, 2010
 | | » | 35. Kane Oceanic Core Complex G-cubed, 2009
 | | » | 34. Geophysical signatures of oceanic core complexes GJI, 2009
 | | » | 33. Accretion of the lower crust Nature, 2009
 | | » | 32. Faulting of the Juan de Fuca plate EPSL, 2009
 | | » | 31. Axial topography os the Galapagos Spreading Center G-cubed, 2008
 | | » | 30. Juan de Fuca Ridge flanks G-cubed, 2008
 | | » | 29. Seismic structure of oceanic core complexes G-cubed, 2008
 | | » | 28. Juan de Fuca Ridge: structure and hotspots G-cubed, 2008
 | | » | 27. Structure of the TAG segment, Mid-Atlantic Ridge G-cubed, 2007
 | | » | 26. Detachment faulting at TAG, Mid-Atlantic Ridge Geology, 2007
 | | » | 25. Structure of the Endeavour segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge JGR, 2007
 | | » | 24. Magma beneath Lucky Strike Hydrothermal Field Nature, 2006
 | | » | 23. Magma chamber of the Cleft segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge EPSL, 2006
 | | » | 22. Topography and magmatism at the Juan de Fuca Ridge Geology, 2006
 | | » | 21. Structure of the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge JGR, 2005
 | | » | 20. Sub-crustal magma lenses Nature, 2005
 | | » | 19. Constructing the crust at the Galapagos Spreading Center JGR, 2004
 | | » | 18. Atlantis core complex EPSL, 2004
 | | » | 17. Morphology of the Galapagos Spreading Center G-cubed, 2003
 | | » | 16. Crustal structure of the East Pacific Rise GJI, 2003
 | | » | 15. Plume-ridge interaction along the Galapagos Spreading Center G-cubed, 2002
 | | » | 14. Compensation of the Galapagos swellEPSL, 2002
 | | » | 13. Structure of Tenerife, Canary Islands JVGR, 2000
 | | » | 12. Underplating in the Canary Islands JVGR, 2000
 | | » | 11. Structure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MARK, 23?20'N) JGR, 2000
 | | » | 10. Structure of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (35?N) JGR, 2000
 | | » | 9. Structure of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands J. Geodyn., 1999
 | | » | 8. Structure of overlapping spreading centers in the MELT area GRL, 1998
 | | » | 7. Crustal thickness in the MELT area Science, 1998
 | | » | 6. The MELT experiment Science, 1998
 | | » | 5. The Canary Islands swell GJI, 1998
 | | » | 4. Morphology of the Galapagos Spreading Center JGR, 1997
 | | » | 3. Faulting of slow-spreading oceanic crust Geology, 1997
 | | » | 2. Flexure beneath Tenerife, Canary Islands EPSL, 1997
 | | » | 1. Elastic thickness in the Canary Islands GRL, 1994
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Canales, J. P., B. E. Tucholke, M. Xu, J. A. Collins, and D. DuBois, Seismic evidence for large-scale compositional heterogeneity of oceanic core complexes, Geochem., Geophys., Geosyst. 9, Q08002, doi:10.1029/2008GC002009, 2008
AbstractLong-lived detachment faults at mid-ocean ridges exhume deep-seated rocks to form oceanic core complexes (OCCs). Using large-offset (6 km) multichannel seismic data we have derived two-dimensional seismic tomography models for three of the best-developed OCCs on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Our results show that large lateral variations in P-wave velocity occur within the upper ~0.5-1.7 km of the lithosphere. We observe good correlations between velocity structure and lithology as documented by in situ geological samples and seafloor morphology, and we use these correlations to show that gabbros are heterogeneously distributed as large (10s to >100 km2) bodies within serpentinized peridotites. Neither the gabbros nor the serpentinites show any systematic distribution with respect to along-isochron position within the enclosing spreading segment, indicating that melt extraction from the mantle is not necessarily focused at segment centers, as has been commonly inferred. In the spreading direction, gabbros are consistently present toward the terminations of the detachment faults. This suggests enhanced magmatism during the late stage of OCC formation due either to natural variability in the magmatic cycle or to decompression melting during footwall exhumation. Heat introduced into the rift valley byflow and crystallization of this melt could weaken the axial lithosphere and result in formation of new faults, and it therefore may explain eventual abandonment of detachments that form OCCs. Detailed seismic studies of the kind described here, when constrained by seafloor morphology and geological samples, can distinguish between major lithological units such as volcanics, gabbros, and serpentinized peridotites at lateral scales of a few kilometers. Thus such studies have tremendous potential to elucidate the internal structure of the shallow lithosphere and to understand the tectonic and magmatic processes by which they were emplaced.
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