Physical properties of oceanic lower crustal and uppermost mantle rocks from the Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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项目编号	NE/N012402/1
	Physical properties of oceanic lower crustal and uppermost mantle rocks from the Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge
	[unavailable]
主持机构	University of Southampton
项目开始年	2015
	2015-10-24
项目结束日期	2016-08-23
资助机构	UK-NERC
项目类别	Research Grant
国家	英国
语种	英语
英文摘要	Gabbro is an intrusive rock that forms when molten rock cools slowly. It is the main constituent of the Earth's crust beneath the oceans. In a wide range of geological settings beneath the oceans, gabbro co-exists with a rock called peridotite that makes up most of the Earth's interior beneath the crust. At high temperatures, peridotite reacts with water in a process called serpentinisation. This reaction happens under certain pressure and temperature conditions and is often incomplete. Geophysical methods involving sound or electromagnetic waves provide a way to determine the nature of rocks beneath the Earth's surface without directly drilling into them, which is very expensive. These methods can be used to estimate the physical properties of rocks, such as density, seismic velocity (compressional, Vp, or shear, Vs) or electrical resistivity. Laboratory measurements on rock samples from the ocean floor have established a linear relationship between seismic velocity of the partially serpentinised peridotite and the degree of serpentinisation, and thus the amount of water chemically bound within the rock. However, it is difficult to distinguish remotely gabbroic rocks from partially serpentinised peridotite because their seismic velocities are similar. The International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 357 will sample the southern wall of the Atlantis Massif, a geological structure close to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where gabbro and serpentinised peridotite have been exposed at or close to the seafloor by faulting. Many previous studies have measured in laboratories the seismic properties of these rock types. In this study, we will use a similar approach on the new samples, but to expand our knowledge we will also measure the variation with direction of the electrical resistivity. The electrical resistivity has one of the widest ranges of any common physical property of solids. Therefore its variation with direction is more easily detectable than that of seismic velocities. Any significant difference of electrical resistivity or its variation with direction between partially serpentinised peridotite and gabbro might enable scientists in future to distinguish between these rock types by recording electromagnetic waves that pass through them. Expedition 357 expects also to collect strongly deformed samples along a near-horizontal fault. These samples will allow us to investigate the relationship between the directional variation of electrical resistivity and the direction of motion along the fault. The chemical reaction that leads to the formation of serpentinite can also generate methane gas, and this gas can ultimately provide a food supply for microbes that live on the seafloor. Therefore the flow rates water and methane in these conditions are of significant interest. Flow rates are controlled by a property of the rock called permeability, which measures how easily fluids can pass through it. Therefore the permeability is a valuable additional parameter to measure, but the measurement is very difficult. If Expedition 357 recovers suitable samples, we will measure directly their permeability and explore the relationship between directional variations in permeability and directional variations in electrical resistivity. Establishment of such a relationship would be very valuable because it would allow us to use geophysical data to tell us something about permeability deep in the Earth, in regions that cannot be sampled directly.
来源学科分类	Natural Environment Research
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/85837
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	[unavailable].Physical properties of oceanic lower crustal and uppermost mantle rocks from the Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge.2015.