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Abstract Antigorite is a hydrous sheet silicate with strongly anisotropic seismic and rheological properties. Hydrous minerals such as antigorite have been invoked to explain numerous geologic observations within subduction zones including intermediate‐depth earthquakes, arc volcanism, the persistent weakness of the subduction interface, trench‐parallelSwave splitting, and episodic tremor and slip. To understand how the presence of antigorite‐bearing rocks affects observations of seismic anisotropy, three mylonites from the Kohistan palaeo‐island arc in Pakistan were analysed using electron backscatter diffraction. A fourth sample, which displayed optical evidence for crystallographically controlled replacements of olivine, was also investigated using electron backscatter diffraction to identify potential topotactic relationships. The resulting data were used to model the bulk seismic properties of antigorite‐rich rocks. The mylonitic samples exhibit incredibly strong bulk anisotropy (10–20% for the antigorite + olivine). Within the nominally undeformed protomylonite, two topotactic relationships were observed: (1) (010)ant//(100)ol with [100]ant//[001]ol and (2) (010)ant//(100)ol with [100]ant//[010]ol. However, the strength of a texture formed by topotactic replacement is markedly weaker than the strength of the textures observed in mylonitic samples. Since antigorite is thought to be rheologically weak, we hypothesise that microstructures formed from topotactic reactions will be progressively overprinted as deformation is localised in regions with greater percentages of serpentine. Regions of highly sheared serpentine, therefore, have the potential to strongly influence seismic wave speeds in subduction settings. The presence of deformed antigorite in a dipping structure is one explanation for observations of both the magnitude and splitting pattern of seismic waves in subduction zones.
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In Situ Oxygen Isotope Determination in Serpentine Minerals by SIMS: Addressing Matrix Effects and Providing New Insights on Serpentinisation at Hole BA1B (Samail ophiolite, Oman)
The ability to constrain the petrogenesis of multiple serpentine generations recorded at the microscale is crucial for estimating the extent and conditions of modernversusfossil serpentinisation in ophiolites. To address matrix bias effects during oxygen isotope analysis by SIMS, we present the first investigation analysing antigorite in the compositional range Mg# = 77.5–99.5 mole %, using a CAMECA IMS‐1280 secondary ion mass spectrometer. Spot‐to‐spot homogeneity is ≤ 0.5‰ (2s) for the new antigorite reference materials. The relative bias between antigorite reference materials with different Mg/Fe ratios is described by a second‐order polynomial, and a maximum difference in bias of ~ 1.8‰ was measured for Mg# ~ 78 to 100. We observed a bias up to ~ 1.0‰ between lizardite and antigorite attributed to their different crystal structures. Orientation effects up to ~ 1‰ were observed in chrysotile. The new analytical protocol allowed the identification of oxygen isotope zoning up to ~ 7‰ in serpentine minerals from two serpentinites recovered from an area of active serpentinisation in the Samail ophiolite. Thus,in situanalysis is capable of resolving isotopic heterogeneity that may directly reflect changes in the physical and chemical conditions of multiple serpentinisation events in the Samail ophiolite.
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- PAR ID:
- 10453173
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research
- Volume:
- 45
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1639-4488
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 161-187
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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