scholarly journals A structural model for the South Tibetan detachment system in northwestern Bhutan from integration of temperature, fabric, strain, and kinematic data

Lithosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean P. Long ◽  
Connor L. Mullady ◽  
Jesslyn K. Starnes ◽  
Stacia M. Gordon ◽  
Kyle P. Larson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Finite Strain ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
High Strain ◽  
Structural Evolution ◽  
The South ◽  
Kinematic Data ◽  
Metamorphic History ◽  
Minimal Data ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
Himalayan Tectonics

Abstract Despite playing a fundamental role in all models of Himalayan tectonics, minimal data constraining the structural evolution, metamorphic history, and offset magnitude of the South Tibetan detachment system (STDS) are available. Here, we integrate petrofabric, finite strain, and kinematic data with metamorphic and deformation temperatures to generate a structural model for the STDS in northwestern Bhutan. We divide the STDS into an ∼2-km-thick lower level that accommodated ∼6–13 km of thinning via ≥30–76 km of simple shear-dominant displacement within Greater Himalayan rocks, and an ∼3-km-thick upper level that accommodated ≥21 km of displacement via an upward decrease (from 44% to 2%) in transport-parallel lengthening within Tethyan Himalayan rocks. Peak metamorphic temperatures in the lower level are ∼650–750 °C, and two distinct intervals of telescoped isotherms in the upper level define a cumulative upward decrease from ∼700 to ∼325 °C. These intervals are separated by an abrupt upward increase from ∼450 to ∼620 °C, which we interpret as the result of post-STDS thrust repetition. Above the upper telescoped interval, temperatures gradually decrease upward from ∼325 to ∼250 °C through a 7-km-thick section of overlying Tethyan Himalayan rocks. Telescoped isotherms lie entirely above the high-strain lower level of the STDS zone, which we attribute to progressive elevation of isotherms during protracted intrusion of granite sills. This study demonstrates the utility of using gradients in fabric intensity and thin section-scale finite strain to delineate shear zone boundaries when field criteria for delineating strain gradients are not apparent.

scholarly journals Southeastern Australian Heat Waves from a Trajectory Viewpoint

2017 ◽  
Vol 145 (10) ◽  
pp. 4109-4125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian F. Quinting ◽  
Michael J. Reeder
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Heat Wave ◽  
Heat Waves ◽  
The South ◽  
South Indian Ocean ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Upper Level

Although heat waves account for more premature deaths in the Australian region than any other natural disaster, an understanding of their dynamics is still incomplete. The present study identifies the dynamical mechanisms responsible for heat waves in southeastern Australia using 10-day backward trajectories computed from the ERA-Interim reanalyses. Prior to the formation of a heat wave, trajectories located over the south Indian Ocean and over Australia in the lower and midtroposphere ascend diabatically ahead of an upper-level trough and over a baroclinic zone to the south of the continent. These trajectories account for 44% of all trajectories forming the anticyclonic upper-level potential vorticity anomalies that characterize heat waves in the region. At the same time, trajectories located over the south Indian Ocean in the lower part of the troposphere descend and aggregate over the Tasman Sea. This descent is accompanied by a strong adiabatic warming. A key finding is that the temperatures are raised further through diabatic heating in the boundary layer over eastern Australia but not over the inner Australian continent. From eastern Australia, the air parcels are advected southward as they become incorporated into the near-surface anticyclone that defines the heat wave. In contrast to past studies, the importance of cloud-diabatic processes in the evolution of the midlatitude large-scale flow and the role of adiabatic compression in elevating the near-surface temperatures is emphasized. Likewise, the role of the local surface sensible heat fluxes is deemphasized.

The Hawasina Nappes: stratigraphy, palaeogeography and structural evolution of a fragment of the south-Tethyan passive continental margin

1990 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Bechennec ◽  
J. Le Metour ◽  
D. Rabu ◽  
Ch. Bourdillon-de-Grissac ◽  
P. de Wever ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continental Margin ◽  
Structural Evolution ◽  
Passive Continental Margin ◽  
The South

scholarly journals Compressional and extensional tectonics in low-medium pressure granulites from the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica

1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Carson ◽  
P. G. H. M. Dirks ◽  
M. Hand ◽  
J. P. Sims ◽  
C. J. L. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
High Strain ◽  
Shear Bands ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
The South ◽  
Medium Pressure ◽  
Larsemann Hills ◽  
The North ◽  
Shear Sense ◽  
Low Pressures ◽  
East West

AbstractMeta-sediments in the Larsemann Hills that preserve a coherent stratigraphy, form a cover sequence deposited upon basement of mafic–felsic granulite. Their outcrop pattern defines a 10 kilometre wide east–west trending synclinal trough structure in which basement–cover contacts differ in the north and the south, suggesting tectonic interleaving during a prograde, D1 thickening event. Subsequent conditions reached low-medium pressure granulite grade, and structures can be divided into two groups, D2 and D3, each defined by a unique lineation direction and shear sense. D2 structures which are associated with the dominant gneissic foliation in much of the Larsemann Hills, contain a moderately east-plunging lineation indicative of west-directed thrusting. D2 comprises a colinear fold sequence that evolved from early intrafolial folds to late upright folds. D3 structures are associated with a high-strain zone, to the south of the Larsemann Hills, where S3 is the dominant gneissic layering and folds sequences resemble D2 folding. Outside the D3 high-strain zone occurs a low-strain D3 window, preserving low-strain D3 structures (minor shear bands and upright folds) that partly re-orient D2 structures. All structures are truncated by a series of planar pegmatites and parallel D4 mylonite zones, recording extensional dextral displacements.D2 assemblages include coexisting garnet–orthopyroxene pairs recording peak conditions of ∼ 7 kbar and ∼ 780°C. Subsequent retrograde decompression textures partly evolved during both D2 and D3 when conditions of ∼ 4–5 kbar and ∼ 750°C were attained. This is followed by D4 shear zones which formed around 3 kbar and ∼ 550°C.It is tempting to combine D2–4 structures in one tectonic cycle involving prograde thrusting and thickening followed by retrograde extension and uplift. The available geochronological data, however, present a number of interpretations. For example, D2 was possibly associated with a clockwise P–T path at medium pressures around ∼ 1000 Ma, by correlation with similar structures developed in the Rauer Group, whilst D3 and D4 events occurred in response to extension and heating at low pressures at ∼ 550 Ma, associated with the emplacement of numerous granitoid bodies. Thus, decompression textures typical for the Larsemann Hills granulites maybe the combined effect of two separate events.

scholarly journals A Climatology of Subtropical Cyclones in the South Atlantic

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (21) ◽  
pp. 7328-7340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni L. Evans ◽  
Aviva Braun
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Warm Season ◽  
Hybrid Structure ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
Rossby Wave Breaking ◽  
The North ◽  
Brazil Current ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Upper Level

A 50-yr climatology (1957–2007) of subtropical cyclones (STs) in the South Atlantic is developed and analyzed. A subtropical cyclone is a hybrid structure (upper-level cold core and lower-level warm core) with associated surface gale-force winds. The tendency for warm season development of North Atlantic STs has resulted in these systems being confused as tropical cyclones (TCs). In fact, North Atlantic STs are a regular source of the incipient vortices leading to North Atlantic TC genesis. In 2004, Hurricane Catarina developed in the South Atlantic and made landfall in Brazil. A TC system had been previously unobserved in the South Atlantic, so the incidence of Catarina highlighted the lack of an ST climatology for the region to provide a context for the likelihood of future systems. Sixty-three South Atlantic STs are documented over the 50-yr period analyzed in this climatology. In contrast to the North Atlantic, South Atlantic STs occur relatively uniformly throughout the year; however, their preferred location of genesis and mechanisms for this genesis do exhibit some seasonal variability. Rossby wave breaking was identified as the mechanism for the ST vortex initiation for North Atlantic STs. A subset of South Atlantic STs forms via this mechanism, however, an additional mechanism for ST genesis is identified here: lee cyclogenesis downstream of the Andes in the Brazil Current region—an area favorable for convection. This formation mechanism is similar to development of type-2 east coast lows in the Tasman Sea off eastern Australia.

La Primavera caldera (Mexico): Structure inferred from gravity and hydrogeological considerations

Geophysics ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 992-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Alatorre‐Zamora ◽  
J. O. Campos‐Enríquez
Keyword(s):  
Structural Model ◽  
Structural Information ◽  
Gravity Data ◽  
Middle Part ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Gravity Modeling ◽  
The South ◽  
Geothermal Fluids ◽  
Production Zone ◽  
Structural High

La Primavera geothermal field (Mexico) is associated with a Pleistocene rhyolitic caldera. This gravity study was conducted to assist its development and explotation. Digital processing of the gravity data (upward and downward continuations, vertical derivatives) enabled delineation of the main features of the caldera’s subsurficial structure. A 3-D structural model was established, which could be supported by gravity modeling (2-D and 3-D forward modeling). Accordingly, the caldera is featured by an asymmetric subsurface structure: a major depression in its northern half, and a boomerang‐shaped structural high to the south. Lineaments reflecting the regional northwest‐southeast and northeast‐southwest structural fabric were observed. The basal volcanics units are affected by lineaments of the northwest‐southeast system, whereas the northeast‐southwest system affects only the shallower units. The structural high has a northwest‐southeast trend at the western and southwestern portion of the caldera. From its middle part eastward, it has a northeast‐southwest direction. The actual geothermal production zone is located above this structural high, on the portion where it changes orientation. Correlation with hydrogeological and geochemical data enabled interpreting the different geologic structures in the context of the hydrothermal system: at depth the northwest‐southeast structures seem to control lateral fluid migration, and connect areas of enhanced permeability (i.e., the central production zone and the hydrothermal manifestations located at the caldera’s western rim). Enhanced zones of fracturing favorable for entrapping hydrothermal fluids and structural accidents that may act as conduits (respectively as barriers) for fluids are delineated. In particular, a new target zone, where the production of geothermal fluids may extend, has been identified to the south of the production zone. The structural image elaborated here constitutes a geologic frame for the prevailing hydrogeological conceptual model. This structural information is also useful for the tasks of selecting sites for the reinjection of geothermal brines.

scholarly journals The South Carolina Flood of October 2015: Moisture Transport Analysis and the Role of Hurricane Joaquin

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 2973-2990 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher G. Marciano ◽  
Gary M. Lackmann
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Water Vapor ◽  
Moisture Transport ◽  
Heavy Precipitation ◽  
Water Vapor Content ◽  
Precipitation Event ◽  
The South ◽  
Flooding Event ◽  
Additional Water ◽  
Upper Level

Abstract Record-setting rainfall occurred over the state of South Carolina in early October 2015, with maximum accumulations exceeding 500 mm. During the heavy rainfall, Hurricane Joaquin was located offshore to the southeast of the flooding event. Prior research, storm summaries, satellite imagery, and media accounts suggest that Joaquin played a major role in the flooding, mostly through the provision of additional water vapor. Here, numerical simulations are utilized to elucidate Joaquin’s role in the flooding and to diagnose moisture transport mechanisms. The South Carolina precipitation event and the track of Hurricane Joaquin are reasonably represented by two control simulations, a 36-km simulation without nesting and another with 12- and 4-km nests added; the latter improves upon a negative intensity bias for Joaquin. A band of intense moisture transport into the flooding region is associated with a narrow, diabatically produced cyclonic lower-tropospheric potential vorticity (PV) maximum. Simulations in which Joaquin is removed exhibit a similar moisture transport mechanism and also produce a band of heavy precipitation, though the axis of heaviest precipitation shifts northward into North Carolina, and there is a modest reduction (~7%) in area-averaged rainfall. Removing Joaquin produces negligible changes in regional total water vapor content but diminished upper-tropospheric diabatic outflow. The diminished outflow allows greater eastward progression of an upper-level trough, consistent with the northward precipitation shift and with weaker forcing for ascent. Changes in the upper jet associated with Joaquin appear to exert a greater influence on the flooding event than Joaquin’s contribution to water vapor content.

scholarly journals An Objective Climatology of Tropical Plumes

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 5044-5060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luise Fröhlich ◽  
Peter Knippertz ◽  
Andreas H. Fink ◽  
Esther Hohberger
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Boreal Summer ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Width Ratio ◽  
The South ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Upper Level

Abstract The first global objective climatology of tropical plumes (TPs), obtained from a novel algorithm based on gridded 10.8-μm brightness temperatures Tb, is presented for 1983–2006. TPs are defined as continuous cloud bands (>2000 km) crossing 15°N or 15°S with Tb anomalies of less than −20 K and a lifetime of at least 3 h. A minimum length-to-width ratio of 3 filters out elongated features. Numbers of identified TPs are sensitive to the chosen thresholds but not their geographical distribution and seasonal cycle. TPs are an important indicator of tropical–extratropical interactions with impacts on radiation and moisture. TP occurrence during boreal winter is largely confined to oceanic regions with main maxima over the South Pacific and South Atlantic as well as the eastern North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The geographical distribution during boreal summer is similar, but with lower frequencies, except for monsoon-influenced regions. Interannual variations over the Indo-Pacific region are strongly related to El Niño. TPs often develop downstream of extratropical upper-level troughs propagating into low latitudes, particularly over the wintertime eastern North Pacific and North Atlantic, but also in regions where mean upper-level easterlies do not generally favor equatorward Rossby wave propagation. Synoptic-scale variations in the quasi-permanent cloud bands associated with the South Pacific and South Atlantic convergence zones frequently produce TP-like anomalies, which are climatologically associated with downstream upper-level troughs. Some regions also feature TPs associated with mesoscale tropical disturbances. The new TP algorithm will serve as a basis for more in-depth studies in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document