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Modes of faulting at mid-ocean ridges

Author

Listed:
  • W. Roger Buck

    (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University)

  • Luc L. Lavier

    (California Institute of Technology
    University of Texas at Austin)

  • Alexei N. B. Poliakov

    (Royal Bank of Canada)

Abstract

Abyssal-hill-bounding faults that pervade the oceanic crust are the most common tectonic feature on the surface of the Earth. The recognition that these faults form at plate spreading centres came with the plate tectonic revolution. Recent observations reveal a large range of fault sizes and orientations; numerical models of plate separation, dyke intrusion and faulting require at least two distinct mechanisms of fault formation at ridges to explain these observations. Plate unbending with distance from the top of an axial high reproduces the observed dip directions and offsets of faults formed at fast-spreading centres. Conversely, plate stretching, with differing amounts of constant-rate magmatic dyke intrusion, can explain the great variety of fault offset seen at slow-spreading ridges. Very-large-offset normal faults only form when about half the plate separation at a ridge is accommodated by dyke intrusion.

Suggested Citation

  • W. Roger Buck & Luc L. Lavier & Alexei N. B. Poliakov, 2005. "Modes of faulting at mid-ocean ridges," Nature, Nature, vol. 434(7034), pages 719-723, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:434:y:2005:i:7034:d:10.1038_nature03358
    DOI: 10.1038/nature03358
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Theunissen & Ritske S. Huismans, 2022. "Mantle exhumation at magma-poor rifted margins controlled by frictional shear zones," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Ivan Koulakov & Vera Schlindwein & Mingqi Liu & Taras Gerya & Andrey Jakovlev & Aleksey Ivanov, 2022. "Low-degree mantle melting controls the deep seismicity and explosive volcanism of the Gakkel Ridge," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Xiaochuan Tian & Mark D. Behn & Garrett Ito & Jana C. Schierjott & Boris J. P. Kaus & Anton A. Popov, 2024. "Magmatism controls global oceanic transform fault topography," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Jie Chen & Wayne C. Crawford & Mathilde Cannat, 2023. "Microseismicity and lithosphere thickness at a nearly-amagmatic oceanic detachment fault system," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-7, December.

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