Numerical Modeling of Three-dimensional Subduction Driven Mantle Wedge Weakening and Plate-Mantle Decoupling

三维俯冲驱动的地幔楔弱化和板块-地幔解耦的数值模拟

• 批准号: 1352879
• 负责人: Margarete Jadamec
• 金额: $ 14.5万
• 依托单位: University of Houston
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1352879&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Numerical; Modeling; Three; dimensional; Subduction

The theory of plate tectonics predicts the outer layer of the Earth is composed of lithospheric plates that are in motion. Subduction zones occur where tectonic plates converge and one plate subducts beneath the other, descending into the underlying mantle. The majority of the deformation observed at the Earth?s surface, in the form of earthquakes, volcanism, and mountain building, occurs at subduction zone plate boundaries. However, how this deformation is manifested in the subsurface, in the mantle and mantle wedge region between the subducting plate and overriding plate, is less understood. The proposed research will use 3D multi-plate geodynamic models to address the controls on the rheology of the mantle wedge, the coupling of the mantle to the overriding plate lithosphere, and associated dimensions of complex seismic anisotropy near subduction zone plate boundaries. The models will simulate the Earth as a highly viscous fluid body deforming on a timescale of millions of years, with each model run on hundreds to thousands of processors. Results from this research will have broad scientific implications, including the transport of chemical signatures in subduction zones which are then erupted in volcanoes, the magnitude and scale of circulation in the mantle wedge, how the mantle couples into overriding plate deformation and mountain building, and the viscous support of the slab and/or viscous resistance to slab sinking and thereby the velocity of the tectonic plates.Recent three-dimensional models of subduction ranging from laboratory experiments, to semi-analytic methods, to fully numerical simulations indicate the mantle flow field in subduction zones is spatially variable, containing poloidal, toroidal, and trench parallel flow. However, previous models do not address what controls the transition from a locally decoupled mantle-overriding plate near the subduction zone to a coupled mantle-overriding plate far from the subduction zone. Such a transition must occur if the mantle motion is non-parallel to the surface plates near the subduction zone but becomes parallel farther from the subduction zone as indicated by global models. A series of 3D multi-plate geodynamic models will be constructed to systematically test the length-scales of the emergent low viscosity in the mantle wedge and quantify the vertical and lateral gradients in mantle-overriding plate viscosity, velocity, and tractions. The numerical models will systematically increase in complexity from generalized 3D models to geographically referenced 3D models for two target sites. The relative effects of rheology formulation and variations in the olivine hydration and melt fraction in the mantle wedge will be tested. In order to properly span the transition from the decoupled mantle wedge-overriding plate to coupled mantle-plate interior, the model domain will extend farther into the plate interior than is typically done for 3D regional models of subduction. A C/C++ code, SlabGenerator, will be used to construct the 3D finite-element mesh, plate boundary interface, and initial temperature. A thermo-chemical finite-element mantle convection code, CitcomCU, will be used to run the 3D viscous flow simulations. The lattice preferred orientations of minerals will be calculated from the predicted flow field and used to calculate synthetic elastic constants over the model domain. The synthetic shear wave splitting will be compared with actual observations of shear wave splitting from the target study sites. For the generalized 3D models, the length-scales of the complex mantle flow field will be compared to the length-scales observed from a global analysis of shear wave splitting at plate boundaries. Understanding the mechanisms and length-scales of the decoupling zone in subduction zones can place constraints on what controls the lateral variability in tractions along the base of the lithosphere, the length-scales of complex seismic anisotropy observed near subduction zones, and the strength of overriding plate-mantle coupling in the vertical direction and, thus, the rheological signature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary.

板块构造理论预测，地球外层是由运动的岩石圈板块组成的。俯冲带发生在构造板块汇聚的地方，一个板块俯冲到另一个板块之下，下降到下面的地幔中。在S地表观察到的大部分形变，以地震、火山活动和造山的形式，发生在俯冲带板块边界。然而，这种变形是如何在地下，即俯冲板块和俯冲板块之间的地幔和地幔楔形区表现出来的，人们却知之甚少。拟议的研究将使用3D多板块地球动力学模型来解决对地幔楔体的流变性、地幔与俯冲板块岩石圈的耦合以及俯冲带板块边界附近复杂地震各向异性的相关维度的控制。这些模型将把地球模拟成一个在数百万年的时间尺度上变形的高度粘滞的流体，每个模型都在数百到数千个处理器上运行。这项研究的结果将具有广泛的科学意义，包括俯冲带中化学特征的传输，然后在火山喷发，地幔楔形环流的大小和规模，地幔如何耦合到俯冲板块变形和造山，以及板块的粘性支撑和/或对板块下沉的粘性阻力，从而确定构造板块的速度。最近的俯冲三维模型，从实验室实验到半解析方法，完全数值模拟表明俯冲带中的地幔流场是空间可变的，包括极向、环向和海沟平行流动。然而，以前的模型没有解决是什么控制了从俯冲带附近的局部解耦的地幔覆盖板块到远离俯冲带的耦合的地幔覆盖板块的转变。如果地幔运动与俯冲带附近的表面板块不平行，但如全球模型所示，在距离俯冲带更远的地方变得平行，则必须发生这种转变。将建立一系列三维多板块地球动力学模型，以系统地测试地幔楔体中涌现的低粘度的长度尺度，并量化地幔盖层板块粘度、速度和牵引力的垂直和横向梯度。对于两个目标地点，数值模型将系统地增加复杂性，从通用的3D模型到地理参考的3D模型。将测试流变学、配方以及地幔楔体中橄榄石水化和熔融分数的变化的相对效果。为了适当地跨越从分离的地幔楔形盖覆板块到耦合的地幔板块内部的过渡，模型域将比通常的3D区域俯冲模型延伸到板块内部更远的地方。将使用C/C++代码SlabGenerator来构建三维有限元网格、板边界界面和初始温度。将使用热化学有限元地幔对流计算程序CitcomCU进行三维粘性流动模拟。矿物的晶格择优取向将从预测的流场中计算出来，并用于计算模型域上的综合弹性常数。合成的横波分裂将与目标研究场地的横波分裂的实际观测结果进行比较。对于广义的3D模型，复杂地幔流场的长度尺度将与从全球板块边界剪切波分裂分析中观察到的长度尺度进行比较。了解俯冲带中退耦合带的机制和长度尺度，可以限制是什么控制了沿岩石圈底部的牵引力的横向变异性、俯冲带附近观测到的复杂地震各向异性的长度尺度以及垂直方向上盖覆板-地幔耦合的强度，从而制约了岩石圈-软流圈边界的流变特征。