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Metamorphic records of multiple seismic cycles during subduction
Daniel R Viete1, Bradley R Hacker2, Mark B Allen3
1Department of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Science Advances
|March 24, 2018
Summary
Garnet zoning in subduction zone rocks reveals rhythmic pressure pulses linked to earthquake cycles. This metamorphic process tracks seismicity, offering new insights into earthquake dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Geology
- Metamorphic Petrology
- Tectonics
Background:
- Subduction zones experience high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism.
- Rhythmic major-element zoning in garnet is a common feature of such metamorphism.
- Garnet zoning is believed to record fundamental subduction processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cause of rhythmic major-element zoning in subduction zone garnets.
- To determine the pressure and timescale of events recorded by garnet zoning.
- To link metamorphic processes to earthquake cycles.
Main Methods:
- Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of garnet major-element zoning.
- Raman microspectroscopy.
- Synchrotron Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy.
Main Results:
- Rhythmic zoning in Franciscan Complex garnets resulted from growth-dissolution cycles.
- These cycles were driven by pressure pulses of 100-350 MPa.
- At least four pressure pulses occurred over less than 300,000 years.
Conclusions:
- Garnet zoning records periodic overpressure cycles linked to pore-fluid pressure fluctuations.
- These fluctuations are associated with earthquake cycles.
- Metamorphic reactions can serve as proxies for tracking individual earthquake cycles, opening new avenues for seismicity research.
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