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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

Extensional tectonics on continents and the transport of heat and matter

Intracontinental zones of extensional tectonic style are commonly of finite width and length. Associated sedimentary troughs are fault-controlled. The evolution of those structures is accompanied by volcanic activity of variable intensity. The characteristic surface structures are usually underlaid by a lower crust of the transitional type while deeper subcustal areas show delayed travel times of seismic waves especially at young tectonic provinces. A correspondence between deep-seated processes and zones of continental extension appears obvious. A sequential order of mechanisms and their importance are discussed in the light of modern data compilations and quantitative kinematic and dynamic approaches. The Cenozoic exensional tectonics related with the Rhine River are discussed.

Neugebauer, H. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Heat flow and thermal processes in the Jornada delMuerto, New Mexico

Most heat flow data in rifts are uncertain largely because of hydrologic disturbances in regions of extensive fracturing. Estimates of heat flow in deep petroleum tests within a large basin of the Rio Grande rift, which has suffered little syn-rift fracturing, may begin to provide clearer insight into the relationships between high heat flow and crustal thinning processes. The Jornada del Muerto is a large basin located in the Rio Grande rift of south central New Mexico. The region of interest within the Jornada del Muerto is centered about 30 km east of the town of Truth or Consequences, and is approximately 60 km north-south by 30 km east-west. High heat flows are estimated for the region. Values increase from about 90 mWm(-2) in the northern part of the study area to about 125 mWm(-2) in the southern part. These high heat flows are rather enigmatic because in the immediate vicinities of the sites there is little evidence of Cenozoic volcanism or syn-rift extensional tectonics. It is suggested that the geothermal anomaly in the southern Jornada del Muerto (approx. 125 to approx. 95 mWm(-2) results from some type of mass movement-heat transfer mechanism operating in the crust just below the elastic layer. This conclusion is consistent with the geologic and geophysical data which describe a thin crust, apparently devoid of features indicative of extensional-tectonics in the upper part of the lastic crust.

Reiter, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Kinematics of a large-scale intraplate extending lithosphere: The Basin-Range

Upper lithospheric structure of the Cordilleran Basin Range (B-R) is characterised by an E-W symmetry of velocity layering. The crust is 25 km thick on its eastern active margin, thickening to 30 km within the central portion and thinning to approx. 25 km on the west. Pn velocities of 7.8 to 7.9 km/s characterize the upper mantle low velocity cushion, 7.4 km/s to 7.5 km/s, occurs at a depth of approx. 25 km in the eastern B-R and underlies the area of active extension. An upper-crustal low-velocity zone in the eastern B-R shows a marked P-wave velocity inversion of 7% at depths of 7 to 10 km also in the area of greatest extension. The seismic velocity models for this region of intraplate extension suggest major differences from that of a normal, thermally underformed continental lithosphere. Interpretations of seismic reflection data demonstrate the presence of extensive low-angle reflections in the upper-crust of the eastern B-R at depths from near-surface to 7 to 10 km. These reflections have been interpreted to represent low-angle normal fault detachments or reactivated thrusts. Seismic profiles across steeply-dipping normal faults in unconsolidated sediments show reflections from both planar to downward flatening (listric) faults that in most cases do not penetrate the low-angle detachments. These faults are interpreted as late Cenozoic and cataclastic mylonitic zones of shear displacement.

Smith, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1986

LANDSAT imagery of the Central Andes

The central Andes of South America extend from approximately 14 deg. S to 28 deg. S as an unbroken chain of mountains and volcanoes over 2000 km long. It is here that the Nazca plate dives under the South American plate at angles varying from 10 deg to 30 deg. Very little is known about the volcanoes comprising this classic, subduction-type plate margin. A catalogue of the volcanoes in the central Andes is being prepared by Dr. P.W. Francis and Dr. C.A. Wood at the NASA Lunar and Planetary Institute. At present, more than 800 volcanoes of Cenozoic age have been recognized in the chain, with an estimated 75-80 major, active Quarternary volcanoes. Approximately one hundred 1536 x 1536 pixel color composite Optronics positives were produced from six full LANDSAT Thermatic Mapper scenes and three partial TM scenes. These positives cover a large portion of the central Andes. The positives were produced from LANDSAT data using the VAX imaging package, LIPS. The scenes were first transferred from magnetic tape to disk. The LIPS package was then used to select volcanically interesting areas which were then electronically enhanced. Finally, the selected areas were transferred back to tape and printed on the Optronics equipment. The pictures are color composites using LANDSAT TM bands 7,4, and 2 in the red, green, and blue filters, respectively.

Komer, C. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Application of shuttle imaging radar to geologic mapping

Images from the Shuttle Imaging Radar - B (SIR-B) experiment covering the area of the Panamint Mountains, Death Valley, California, were examined in the field and in the laboratory to determine their usefulness as aids for geologic mapping. The covered area includes the region around Wildrose Canyon where rocks ranging in age from Precambrian to Cenozoic form a moderately rugged portion of the Panamint Mountains, including sharp ridges, broad alluviated upland valleys, and fault-bounded grabens. The results of the study indicate that the available SIR-B images of this area primarily illustrate variations in topography, except in the broadly alluviated areas of Panamint Valley and Death Valley where deposits of differing reflectivity can be recognized. Within the mountainous portion of the region, three textures can be discerned, each representing a different mode of topographic expression related to the erosion characteristics of the underlying bedrock. Regions of Precambrian bedrock have smooth slopes and sharp ridges with a low density of gullies. Tertiary monolithologic breccias have smooth, steep slopes with an intermediate density of gullies with rounded ridges. Tertiary fanglomerates have steep rugged slopes with numerous steep-sided gullies and knife-sharp ridges. The three topographic types reflect the consistancy and relative susceptibility to erosion of the bedrock; the three types can readily be recognized on topographic maps. At present, it has not been possible to distinguish on the SIR-B image of the mountainous terrain the type of bedrock, independent of the topographic expression.

Labotka, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Tectonic geomorphology of the Andes with SIR-A and SIR-B

Data takes from SIR-A and SIR-B (Shuttle Imaging Radar) crossed all of the principal geomorphic provinces of the central Andes between 17 and 34 S latitude. In conjunction with Thematic Mapping images and photographs from hand-held cameras as well as from the Large Format Camera that was flown with SIR-B, the radar images give an excellent sampling of Andean geomorphology. In particular, the radar images show new details of volcanic rocks and landforms of late Cenozoic age in the Puna, and the exhumed surfaces of tilted blocks of Precambrian crystalline basement in the Sierras Pampeanas.

Bloom, Arthur L.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Abrupt climate change and extinction events

There is a growing body of theoretical and empirical support for the concept of instabilities in the climate system, and indications that abrupt climate change may in some cases contribute to abrupt extinctions. Theoretical indications of instabilities can be found in a broad spectrum of climate models (energy balance models, a thermohaline model of deep-water circulation, atmospheric general circulation models, and coupled ocean-atmosphere models). Abrupt transitions can be of several types and affect the environment in different ways. There is increasing evidence for abrupt climate change in the geologic record and involves both interglacial-glacial scale transitions and the longer-term evolution of climate over the last 100 million years. Records from the Cenozoic clearly show that the long-term trend is characterized by numerous abrupt steps where the system appears to be rapidly moving to a new equilibrium state. The long-term trend probably is due to changes associated with plate tectonic processes, but the abrupt steps most likely reflect instabilities in the climate system as the slowly changing boundary conditions caused the climate to reach some threshold critical point. A more detailed analysis of abrupt steps comes from high-resolution studies of glacial-interglacial fluctuations in the Pleistocene. Comparison of climate transitions with the extinction record indicates that many climate and biotic transitions coincide. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction is not a candidate for an extinction event due to instabilities in the climate system. It is quite possible that more detailed comparisons and analysis will indicate some flaws in the climate instability-extinction hypothesis, but at present it appears to be a viable candidate as an alternate mechanism for causing abrupt environmental changes and extinctions.

Crowley, Thomas J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

How many upper Eocene microspherule layers: More than we thought

The scientific controversy over the origin of upper Eocene tektites, microtektites and other microspherules cannot be logically resolved until it is determined just how many events are involved. The microspherule-bearing beds in marine sediments have been dated using standard biozonal techniques. Although a powerful stratigraphic tool, zonal biostratigraph has its limitations. One is that if an event, such as a microspherule occurrence, is observed to occur in a zone at one locality and then a similar event observed in the same zone at another locality, it still may be unwarranted to conclude that these events exactly correlate. To be in a zone a sample only need be between the fossil events that define the zone boundaries. It is often very difficult to accurately determine where within a zone one might be. Further, the zone defining events do not everywhere occur at the same points in time. That is, the ranges of the defining taxa are not always filled. Thus, the length of time represented by a zone (but not, of course, its chronozone) can vary from place to place. These problems can be offset by use of chronostratigraphic modelling techniques such as Graphic Correlation. This technique was used to build a Cretaceous and Cenozoic model containing fossil, magnetopolarity, and other events. The scale of the model can be demonstrated to be linear with time. This model was used to determine the chronostratigraphic position of upper Eocene microspherule layers.

Hazel, Joseph E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Step-wise extinctions at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary and their climatic implications

A comparative study of planktonic foraminifera and radiolarian assemblages from the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary section of the Beloc Formation in the southern Peninsula of Haiti, and the lowermost Danian sequence of the Micara Formation in southern Cuba reveals a remarkable pattern of step-wise extinctions. This pattern is consistent in both places despite the widely different lithologies of the two formations. Because of a step-wise extinction and the delayed disappearance of taxa known to be more representative of cooler water realms, it is inferred that a cooling trend which characterized the close of the Maastrichtian and the onset of the Tertiary had the major adverse effect on the existing biota. Although repetitive lithologic and faunal fluctuations throughout the Maastrichtian sediments found at Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) site 146/149 in the Caribbean Sea indicate variations reminiscent of known climatically induced cycles in the Cenozoic, rapid biotic succession appears to have taken place during a crisis period of a duration greater than 2 mission years. Widespread and abundant volcanic activities recorded in the Caribbean area during the crisis period gives further credence to earlier contention that intense volcanism may have played a major role in exhacerbating pre-existing climatic conditions during that time.

Maurrasse, Florentin J-M. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Assessment of the atmospheric impact of volcanic eruptions

The dominant global impact of volcanic activity is likely to be related to the effects of volcanic gases on the Earth's atmosphere. Volcanic gas emissions from individual volcanic arc eruptions are likely to cause increases in the stratospheric optical depth that result in surface landmass temperature decline of 2 to 3 K for less than a decade. Trachytic and intermediate magmas are much more effective in this regard than high-silica magmas, and may also lead to extensive ozone depletion due to effect of halogens and magmatic water. Given the assumed relationship between arc volcanism and subduction rate, and the relatively small variation in global spreading rates in the geologic record, it is unlikely that the rates of arc volcanism have varied greatly during the Cenozoic. Hotspot related basaltic fissure eruptions in the subaerial environment have a higher mass yield of sulfur, but lofting of the valcanic aerosol to levels above the tropopause is required for a climate impact. High-latitude events, such as the Laki 1783 eruption can easily penetrate the tropopause and enter the stratosphere, but formation of a stratospheric volcanic aerosol form low-latitude effusive basaltic eruptions is problematical, due to the elevated low-latitude tropopause. Due to the high sulfur content of hotspot-derived basaltic magmas, their very high mass eruption rates and the episodic behavior, hotspots must be regarded as potentially major modifiers of Earth's climate through the action of their volcanic volatiles on the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere.

Sigurdsson, H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Electrical structure and its implication across the lower- and upper-crustal settings of South India

Measurements of a large scale MMA experiment covering both the granulite and greenstone terrains of Archeans in the southern part of India is re-visited and re-analyzed. The induced field variations contain the signatures of crustal and subcrustal electrical conductivities, although substantially distorted by the sea-land interfaces and cenozoic sediments. However, through a selection of some reconnaissance profiles and temporal variations, an attempt is made to deduce whether: (1) significant differences exist between the electrical structures of the high and low grade complexes (i.e., if the electrical conductivity of the lower crust is due to minerological composition or is intrinsic to the positioning at depths greater than 15 km); (2) the probable seaward extension of the continental crust and its transition to oceanic type may also contribute (through intracrustal DC-like telluric sheets) to the induction field in addition to or rather than the sharply localized zones; (3) the observed parameters are indicative of a formal anisotropy and/or undulations in the deep crust; and (4) the postulate of relatively hotter Indian shield is reflected particularly with regard to differential metamorphism. In the last case, the crust-mantle coupling in this region - unlike other similar areas - seems to be markedly affected by the evolution of Ne-plate velocity field.

Raval, U.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Structure and dating errors in the geologic time scale and periodicity in mass extinctions

Structure in the geologic time scale reflects a partly paleontological origin. As a result, ages of Cenozoic and Mesozoic stage boundaries exhibit a weak 28-Myr periodicity that is similar to the strong 26-Myr periodicity detected in mass extinctions of marine life by Raup and Sepkoski. Radiometric dating errors in the geologic time scale, to which the mass extinctions are stratigraphically tied, do not necessarily lessen the likelihood of a significant periodicity in mass extinctions, but do spread the acceptable values of the period over the range 25-27 Myr for the Harland et al. time scale or 25-30 Myr for the DNAG time scale. If the Odin time scale is adopted, acceptable periods fall between 24 and 33 Myr, but are not robust against dating errors. Some indirect evidence from independently-dated flood-basalt volcanic horizons tends to favor the Odin time scale.

Stothers, Richard B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Thrusting on the Tibetan plateau within the last 5 Ma

The Lunpola basin, in the middle of the Tibetan plateau, contains about 4 km of nonmarine sediments deposited since early Cenozoic times. This remarkable structure, localized in the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone, has much to teach about how the plateau has developed. The strong evidence for young compression in the basin is emphasized.

Burke, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1989

Constraints on the deep structure and dynamic processes beneath the Alps and adjacent regions from an analysis of gravity anomalies

Gravity anomalies over the Alps and the Molasse Basin are examined, focusing on the relationship between the anomalies and the tectonic processes beneath the region. Bouguer gravity anomalies measured in France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland are analyzed. No large isostatic anomalies are observed over the Alps and an elastic model is unable to account for gravity anomalies over the Molasse Basin. These results suggest that the dynamic processes that flexed the European plate down, forming the Molasse Basin and building the Alpine chain, have waned. It is proposed that the late Cenozoic uplift of the region may be due to a diminution or termination of downwelling of mantle material.

Lyon-Caen, Helene↗
NASA NTRS1990

Potential evapotranspiration and the likelihood of future drought

The possibility that the greenhouse warming predicted by the GISS general-circulation model and other GCMs could lead to severe droughts is investigated by means of numerical simulations, with a focus on the role of potential evapotranspiration E(P). The relationships between precipitation (P), E(P), soil moisture, and vegetation changes in GCMs are discussed; the empirically derived Palmer drought-intensity index and a new supply-demand index (SDDI) based on changes in P - E(P) are described; and simulation results for the period 1960-2060 are presented in extensive tables, graphs, and computer-generated color maps. Simulations with both drought indices predict increasing drought frequency for the U.S., with effects already apparent in the 1990s and a 50-percent frequency of severe droughts by the 2050s. Analyses of arid periods during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic are shown to support the use of the SDDI in GCM drought prediction.

Rind, D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Evidence for age and evolution of Corner seamounts and Great Meteor seamount chain from multibeam bathymetry

The morphology of the Corner and Cruiser seamounts is discussed and the apparent age of seamount geomorphic features that are thought to have formed at sea level is derived. High-resolution, multibeam bathymetry of the seamounts shows geomorphic features such as guyots and terraces. The pattern of volcanism is consistent with the sequential formation of the New England, Corner, and Great Meteor chain seamounts above the New England hotspot. However, Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic absolute motion of the African plate over the hotspot differs significantly from predictions of the existing models. The derived age pattern of volcanism indicates formation of the Corner seamounts at ca. 80 Ma to 76 Ma.

Tucholke, Brian E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Petrogenesis of Challis volcanics from central and southwestern Idaho - Trace element and Pb isotopic evidence

An analysis of the lava flows and ash-flow tuffs in Idaho is conducted to determine the composition of the volcanics in terms of major and trace elements and Pb isotopic substances. Al2O3 is found to be low, MgO content is high, and the concentration of K2O is higher or equal to that of Na2O with respect to the lavas of mafic to intermediate composition. Trace elements and element ratios are compatible with the crustal component, and the Pb isotopic compositions suggest a lack of assimilation during crystallization. The evidence does not support the notion of a magma system related to subduction, and the data regarding Pb isotopes and trace elements point to a connection with the lithosphere. A model is proposed for the Challis volcanics in which they resulted from completely melting within the lithosphere and then extending during the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic compression.

Norman, Marc D.↗
NASA NTRS1992

New perspectives on the Popigai impact structure

The record of large-scale cratering on Earth is scant, and the only currently 'proven' 100-km-class impact structure known to have formed within the Cenozoic is Popigai, located in the Siberian Arctic at 71.5 deg N, 111 deg E. Popigai is clearly a multiringed impact basin formed within the crystalline shield rocks (Anabar) and platform sediments of the Siberian taiga, and estimates of the volume of preserved impact melt typically exceed 1700 cu km, which is within a factor of 2-3 of what would be predicted using scaling relationships. We present the preliminary results of an analysis of the present-day topography of the Popigai structure, together with refined absolute age estimates, in order to reconstruct the pre-erosional morphology of the basin, as well as to quantify the erosion or sediment infill rates in the Popigai region.

Garvin, J. B.↗