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Home , Asthenosphere, Continental crust, Crust (geology), Lithosphere, Oceanic crust, Passive margin

10/6/17

Landsat image of Bermuda, Atlantic . Image by Introduction to Jesse Allen, USGS/NASA. Public Domain. Lecture 4: &

Lab #1 exercise key posted outside 3820 . Plumbago, wikimedia commons, C C A S-A 3.0 Lab #1 powerpoints & Lab #2 reading available on class website

Satellite radar mapping (gravity) Oceanic vs. Continental

• Bimodal elevation distribution due to – Vs. –

http://principles.ou.edu/earth_figure_gravity/geoid/geoid.gif

0 km 100 km

NASA/JPL image, Public Domain. Adapted from USGS image, http://topex- Public Domain www.jpl.nasa.gov/technology/technolog y.html

Continental Crust: Granitic Oceanic Crust: Basaltic

• typically • Ocean crust made up of basaltic made up of the rock Approx. 1 cm • Density: 2.9-3.0 • Density: 2.7-2.8 gm/cm3 gm/cm3 – density = mass/volume • are typically • Light in color, coarse about 0.2 gm/cm3 in texture denser than – Yosemite/ – about 7% denser Mid-ocean ridge , , Mt. Whitney rock photo by E. Schauble, Sample courtesy A. Schmitt Granite, Yosemite N.P.(?), David Monniaux, Basalt hand specimen Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Att. S-A 3.0 Granite hand specimen

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Oceanic vs. Continental Crust • Continental Crust QUESTIONS? – 30-40 km thickness • Oceanic Crust – 5-10 km (thinner) & denser than CC

• Crust underlain by denser ~ 3.3 gm/cm3 ~ 15% denser than crustal materials Can flow at depths below ~100 km, i.e. in the . breakup simulation by Gurnis et al., Caltech, http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~gurnis/Movies/Science_Captions/aggdisp.html

What is Buoyancy? What is Buoyancy? • Any object in a fluid will be pushed up as the fluid tries to fill • Archimedes’ Principle: A solid will sink in the space taken up by the object. into a fluid until the displaced fluid’s • At rest, a buoyant object will sit mass is equal to the mass of the solid. so that the mass of fluid it displaces equals the mass of the object. • The downward force of gravity on the object is balanced by the restoring force from gravity pushing fluid into the displaced Figure by Christophe Finot, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain volume. 1) Low density materials don’t have to displace as much fluid to match their mass, so they float higher 2) Thicker pieces of material have more volume left over after Figure E. Schauble. Profile of Emma Maersk by Delphine Ménard, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Share-alike -2.0-fr displacing their mass, so they float higher

Isostatic Balance Elevation of Continents vs. • Blocks of lithosphere (crust + uppermost mantle, ca. 100 km thick) float atop the plastic asthenosphere

0 km Lithosphere Which is more 100 km like continental lithosphere? Adapted from USGS image, Oceanic Crust: Continental Crust: Public Domain Which is more Lithosphere Lithosphere like oceanic Thinner & Denser Thicker & Lighter lithosphere?

Asthenosphere Asthenosphere Figure by Kurgus, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

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Oceans vs. Continents OCEANS CONTINENTS QUESTIONS?

Average –3800m +840m Elevation Surface Area 71% 29%

Crustal 59% 41% (Margins) Distribution Crustal 5 - 10 km 30 - 70 km Thickness

Density 3.0 gm/cm3 2.7 gm/cm3 Supercontinent breakup simulation by Gurnis et al., Caltech, http://www.gps.caltech.edu/~gurnis/Movies/Science_Captions/aggdisp.html

Morphology of the Oceans Continental Margins Continental Margins Deep- Trenches • Two Types – Atlantic style “passive” margins • Broad flat shelves • Examples are Florida, Virginia – Pacific style “active” margins Ocean • Narrow shelf adjacent to a deep-sea trench Basin • Examples are Chile, Japan Abyssal Plains Mid-Ocean Image by Plumbago, Wikimedia Commons, Ridges Creative Commons A S-A 3.0 Distances and depths of margin features are variable. Active margin features are narrower and extend deeper than on passive margins.

Passive Margins (Atlantic-style) Passive Continental Margins Broad , gradual transition to deep • “Drowned” continental pile up adjacent to ocean. the continents • Comprised of: – Continental Shelf – Shelf Break – Continental Slope – Break Shelf (Not to scale)

Bathymetry from Slope GEBCO world Rise map, http://www.gebc Oceanic Crust o.net, Cont’l Crust educational use expressly Modified from figure by Cidnye, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain allowed.

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Continental Shelf Continental Slope • Shelf: terraces of SHELF BREAK • Beyond Shelf Break is SLOPE • Width: variable, the Continental Slope ~10 km (active) o • Much steeper, ~4 SLOPE ~100’s km (passive). • Depths: to ~3-4 km • Slope ≤ 0.5o Very flat • Typical width ~20 km

• Ends at the Shelf Break Occurs at average water depth approx. 140 m (variable)

Figure from NOAA Ocean Explorer, Figure from NOAA Ocean Explorer, http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/tools/mappin http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/tools/mappin g/media/GulfofMexico.jpg Public Domain g/media/GulfofMexico.jpg Public Domain

Continental Rise Turbidity currents and the slope • At the base of the continental slope RISE • Slope lessens • Depths: from ~2km - 5km • Width: ~ 100-1000 km • Sedimentary “apron” or “fan”

Bathymetry from GEBCO world map, http://www.gebco.net, educational use expressly allowed.

Active Margins Submarine Canyons Image from Divins, D.L., and D. Metzger, NGDC Coastal Relief Model, http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/coastal/coastal.html. Public Domain • A steeper, narrow Erosional margin, usually incisions bordered by a through shelf trench. Santa and slope Cruz Transport • Particularly Monterey Bay common around sediments from the Pacific the rise out onto abyssal plains Ocean. – Turbidity Montere y currents • Transport Active Margin sediments onto Abyssal Plains Bathymetry from GEBCO world map, http://www.gebco.net, educational use expressly allowed.

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Submarine Canyons, Deep-Sea Trenches carved by debris Depths: 5 - 11 km flows and turbidity currents, not Widths: 30 - 100 km Passive Margin Associated with and arcs – i.e., the and the Aleutians, respectively Santa Also associated with the Movie by AGU & Lai et al. Morphohydraulics Cruz Imaging Laboratory, National Cheng Kung Monterey Bay strongest and deepest University, Taiwan. http://blogs.agu.org/geospace/2016/05/24/watch- on the underwater-canyons-take-shape-real-time/

Monterey

Image from Divins, D.L., and D. Metzger, NGDC Coastal Relief Model, http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/coastal/coastal.html. Same image credit as Public Domain prevous slide. Active Margin

Deep-Sea Trenches The – Trenches, earthquakes and volcanoes concentrated along the Pacific, including active margins.

Figure by Gringer, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Ring_of_Fire.svg

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