Miller
Nathaniel C.
Miller
Nathaniel C.
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ArticleAzimuthal seismic anisotropy of 70-ma Pacific-plate upper mantle.(American Geophysical Union, 2019-01-28) Mark, Hannah ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Collins, John ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Hirth, Greg ; Gaherty, James B. ; Evans, Rob L.Plate formation and evolution processes are predicted to generate upper mantle seismic anisotropy and negative vertical velocity gradients in oceanic lithosphere. However, predictions for upper mantle seismic velocity structure do not fully agree with the results of seismic experiments. The strength of anisotropy observed in the upper mantle varies widely. Further, many refraction studies observe a fast direction of anisotropy rotated several degrees with respect to the paleospreading direction, suggesting that upper mantle anisotropy records processes other than 2‐D corner flow and plate‐driven shear near mid‐ocean ridges. We measure 6.0 ± 0.3% anisotropy at the Moho in 70‐Ma lithosphere in the central Pacific with a fast direction parallel to paleospreading, consistent with mineral alignment by 2‐D mantle flow near a mid‐ocean ridge. We also find an increase in the strength of anisotropy with depth, with vertical velocity gradients estimated at 0.02 km/s/km in the fast direction and 0 km/s/km in the slow direction. The increase in anisotropy with depth can be explained by mechanisms for producing anisotropy other than intrinsic effects from mineral fabric, such as aligned cracks or other structures. This measurement of seismic anisotropy and gradients reflects the effects of both plate formation and evolution processes on seismic velocity structure in mature oceanic lithosphere, and can serve as a reference for future studies to investigate the processes involved in lithospheric formation and evolution.
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ThesisEvolution of oceanic margins : rifting in the Gulf of California and sediment diapirism and mantle hydration during subduction(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2013-06) Miller, Nathaniel C.This thesis investigates three processes that control the evolution of oceanic margins. Chapter 2 presents seismic images of a ~2-km-thick evaporite body in Guaymas Basin, central Gulf of California. In rifts, evaporites form under conditions unique to the latest stages of continental rupture, and the presence, age, thickness, and shape place new constraints on the history of early rifting there. Chapter 3 presents numerical experiments that show that diapirs can form in sediments on the down-going plate in subduction zones and rise into the mantle wedge, delivering the sedimentary component widely observed in arc magmas. Chapter 4 presents measurements of seismic anisotropy from wide-angle, active-source data from the Middle America Trench that address the hypothesis that the upper mantle is hydrated by seawater flowing along outer-rise normal faults. These measurements indicate that the upper mantle is ~1.57 to 6.89% anisotropic, and this anisotropy can be attributed to bending-related faulting and an inherited mantle fabric. Accounting for anisotropy reduces previous estimates for the amount of water stored in the upper mantle of the down-going plate from ~2.5 to 1.5 wt%, a significant change in subduction zone water budgets.
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ArticleDeformation of the Pacific/North America plate boundary at Queen Charlotte Fault : the possible role of rheology(John Wiley & Sons, 2018-03-30) ten Brink, Uri S. ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Andrews, Brian D. ; Brothers, Daniel S. ; Haeussler, Peter J.The Pacific/North America (PA/NA) plate boundary between Vancouver Island and Alaska is similar to the PA/NA boundary in California in its kinematic history and the rate and azimuth of current relative motion, yet their deformation styles are distinct. The California plate boundary shows a broad zone of parallel strike slip and thrust faults and folds, whereas the 49‐mm/yr PA/NA relative plate motion in Canada and Alaska is centered on a single, narrow, continuous ~900‐km‐long fault, the Queen Charlotte Fault (QCF). Using gravity analysis, we propose that this plate boundary is centered on the continent/ocean boundary (COB), an unusual location for continental transform faults because plate boundaries typically localize within the continental lithosphere, which is weaker. Because the COB is a boundary between materials of contrasting elastic properties, once a fault is established there, it will probably remain stable. We propose that deformation progressively shifted to the COB in the wake of Yakutat terrane's northward motion along the margin. Minor convergence across the plate boundary is probably accommodated by fault reactivation on Pacific crust and by an eastward dipping QCF. Underthrusting of Pacific slab under Haida Gwaii occurs at convergence angles >14°–15° and may have been responsible for the emergence of the archipelago. The calculated slab entry dip (5°–8°) suggests that the slab probably does not extend into the asthenosphere. The PA/NA plate boundary at the QCF can serve as a structurally simple site to investigate the impact of rheology and composition on crustal deformation and the initiation of slab underthrusting.
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ArticleFinite-frequency wave propagation through outer rise fault zones and seismic measurements of upper mantle hydration(John Wiley & Sons, 2016-08-14) Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Lizarralde, DanielEffects of serpentine-filled fault zones on seismic wave propagation in the upper mantle at the outer rise of subduction zones are evaluated using acoustic wave propagation models. Modeled wave speeds depend on azimuth, with slowest speeds in the fault-normal direction. Propagation is fastest along faults, but, for fault widths on the order of the seismic wavelength, apparent wave speeds in this direction depend on frequency. For the 5–12 Hz Pn arrivals used in tomographic studies, joint-parallel wavefronts are slowed by joints. This delay can account for the slowing seen in tomographic images of the outer rise upper mantle. At the Middle America Trench, confining serpentine to fault zones, as opposed to a uniform distribution, reduces estimates of bulk upper mantle hydration from ~3.5 wt % to as low as 0.33 wt % H2O.
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ArticleLimited mantle hydration by bending faults at the Middle America Trench(American Geophysical Union, 2020-12-15) Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Collins, John A. ; Holbrook, W. Steven ; Van Avendonk, Harm J. A.Seismic anisotropy measurements show that upper mantle hydration at the Middle America Trench (MAT) is limited to serpentinization and/or water in fault zones, rather than distributed uniformly. Subduction of hydrated oceanic lithosphere recycles water back into the deep mantle, drives arc volcanism, and affects seismicity at subduction zones. Constraining the extent of upper mantle hydration is an important part of understanding many fundamental processes on Earth. Substantially reduced seismic velocities in tomography suggest that outer rise plate‐bending faults provide a pathway for seawater to rehydrate the slab mantle just prior to subduction. Estimates of outer‐rise hydration based on tomograms vary significantly, with some large enough to imply that, globally, subduction has consumed more than two oceans worth of water during the Phanerozoic. We found that, while the mean upper mantle wavespeed is reduced at the MAT outer rise, the amplitude and orientation of inherited anisotropy are preserved at depths >1 km below the Moho. At shallower depths, relict anisotropy is replaced by slowing in the fault‐normal direction. These observations are incompatible with pervasive hydration but consistent with models of wave propagation through serpentinized fault zones that thin to <100‐m in width at depths >1 km below Moho. Confining hydration to fault zones reduces water storage estimates for the MAT upper mantle from ∼3.5 wt% to <0.9 wt% H20. Since the intermediate thermal structure in the ∼24 Myr‐old MAT slab favors serpentinization, limited hydration suggests that fault mechanics are the limiting factor, not temperatures. Subducting mantle may be similarly dry globally.
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ArticleTimescales for the growth of sediment diapirs in subduction zones(John Wiley & Sons, 2012-07-10) Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Behn, Mark D.In this study, we calculate timescales for the growth of gravitational instabilities forming in the sediment layer on the downgoing slab at subduction zones. Subducted metasediments are buoyant with respect to the overlying mantle and may form diapirs that detach from the slab and rise upwards into the mantle wedge. We use a particle-in-cell, finite-difference method to calculate growth rates for instabilities forming within a buoyant, wet-quartz metasediment layer underlying a dense mantle half-space composed of wet olivine. These growth rates are used to determine where sediment diapirs initiate and detach from the slab over a range of subduction zone thermal structures. We find that, given a sufficient layer thickness (200–800 m, depending on slab-surface and mantle-wedge temperatures), sediment diapirs begin to grow rapidly at depths of ∼80 km and detach from the slab within 1–3 Myr at temperatures ≤900 °C and at depths roughly corresponding to the location of the slab beneath the arc. Diapir growth is most sensitive to absolute slab temperature, however it is also affected by the viscosity ratio between the sediment layer and the mantle wedge and the length-scale over which viscosity decays above the slab. These secondary affects are most pronounced in colder subduction systems with old slabs and faster subduction rates. For a broad range of subduction zone thermal conditions, we find that diapirs can efficiently transport sediments into the mantle wedge, where they would melt and be incorporated into arc magmas. Thus, we conclude that sediment diapirism is a common feature of many subduction zones, providing a potential explanation for the ‘sediment signature’ in the chemistry of arc magmas.
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ArticleRefining the formation and early evolution of the Eastern North American Margin : new insights from multiscale magnetic anomaly analyses(John Wiley & Sons, 2017-11-16) Greene, John A. ; Tominaga, Masako ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Hutchinson, Deborah R. ; Karl, Matthew R.To investigate the oceanic lithosphere formation and early seafloor spreading history of the North Atlantic Ocean, we examine multiscale magnetic anomaly data from the Jurassic/Early Cretaceous age Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) between 31 and 40°N. We integrate newly acquired sea surface magnetic anomaly and seismic reflection data with publicly available aeromagnetic and composite magnetic anomaly grids, satellite-derived gravity anomaly, and satellite-derived and shipboard bathymetry data. We evaluate these data sets to (1) refine magnetic anomaly correlations throughout the ENAM and assign updated ages and chron numbers to M0–M25 and eight pre-M25 anomalies; (2) identify five correlatable magnetic anomalies between the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) and Blake Spur Magnetic Anomaly (BSMA), which may document the earliest Atlantic seafloor spreading or synrift magmatism; (3) suggest preexisting margin structure and rifting segmentation may have influenced the seafloor spreading regimes in the Atlantic Jurassic Quiet Zone (JQZ); (4) suggest that, if the BSMA source is oceanic crust, the BSMA may be M series magnetic anomaly M42 (~168.5 Ma); (5) examine the along and across margin variation in seafloor spreading rates and spreading center orientations from the BSMA to M25, suggesting asymmetric crustal accretion accommodated the straightening of the ridge from the bend in the ECMA to the more linear M25; and (6) observe anomalously high-amplitude magnetic anomalies near the Hudson Fan, which may be related to a short-lived propagating rift segment that could have helped accommodate the crustal alignment during the early Atlantic opening.
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ArticleAlong-margin variations in breakup volcanism at the Eastern North American Margin(American Geophysical Union, 2020-11-16) Greene, John A. ; Tominaga, Masako ; Miller, Nathaniel C.We model the magnetic signature of rift‐related volcanism to understand the distribution and volume of magmatic activity that occurred during the breakup of Pangaea and early Atlantic opening at the Eastern North American Margin (ENAM). Along‐strike variations in the amplitude and character of the prominent East Coast Magnetic Anomaly (ECMA) suggest that the emplacement of the volcanic layers producing this anomaly similarly varied along the margin. We use three‐dimensional magnetic forward modeling constrained by seismic interpretations to identify along‐margin variations in volcanic thickness and width that can explain the observed amplitude and character of the ECMA. Our model results suggest that the ECMA is produced by a combination of both first‐order (~600–1,000 km) and second‐order (~50–100 km) magmatic segmentation. The first‐order magmatic segmentation could have resulted from preexisting variations in crustal thickness and rheology developed during the tectonic amalgamation of Pangaea. The second‐order magmatic segmentation developed during continental breakup and likely influenced the segmentation and transform fault spacing of the initial, and modern, Mid‐Atlantic Ridge. These variations in magmatism show how extension and thermal weakening was distributed at the ENAM during continental breakup and how this breakup magmatism was related to both previous and subsequent Wilson cycle stages.
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ArticleEpisodic intraplate magmatism fed by a long-lived melt channel of distal plume origin(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2023-06-09) Naif, Samer ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Shillington, Donna J. ; Becel, Anne ; Lizarralde, Daniel ; Bassett, Dan ; Hemming, Sidney R.In the past decade, marine geophysical observations have led to the discovery of thin channels at the base of oceanic plates with anomalous physical properties that indicate the presence of low-degree partial melts. However, mantle melts are buoyant and should migrate toward the surface. We show abundant observations of widespread intraplate magmatism on the Cocos Plate where a thin partial melt channel was imaged at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. We combine existing geophysical, geochemical, and seafloor drilling results with seismic reflection data and radiometric dating of drill cores to constrain the origin, distribution, and timing of this magmatism. Our synthesis indicates that the sublithospheric channel is a regionally extensive (>100,000 km2) and long-lived feature that originated from the Galápagos Plume more than 20 Ma ago, supplying melt for multiple magmatic events and persisting today. Plume-fed melt channels may be widespread and long-lived sources for intraplate magmatism and mantle metasomatism.
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ArticleSubducting plate structure and megathrust morphology from deep seismic imaging linked to earthquake rupture segmentation at Cascadia(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2024-06-07) Carbotte, Suzanne M. ; Boston, Brian ; Han, Shuoshuo ; Shuck, Brandon ; Beeson, Jeffrey ; Canales, J. Pablo ; Tobin, Harold ; Miller, Nathan ; Nedimovic, Mladen R. ; Trehu, Anne M. ; Lee, Michelle ; Lucas, Madelaine ; Jian, Hanchao ; Jiang, Danqi ; Moser, Liam ; Anderson, Chris ; Judd, Darren ; Fernandez, Jaime ; Campbell, Chuck ; Goswami, Antara ; Gahlawat, RajendraThe origin of rupture segmentation along subduction zone megathrusts and linkages to the structural evolution of the subduction zone are poorly understood. Here, regional-scale seismic imaging of the Cascadia margin is used to characterize the megathrust spanning ~900 km from Vancouver Island to the California border, across the seismogenic zone to a few tens of kilometers from the coast. Discrete domains in lower plate geometry and sediment underthrusting are identified, not evident in prior regional plate models, which align with changes in lithology and structure of the upper plate and interpreted paleo-rupture patches. Strike-slip faults in the lower plate associated with oblique subduction mark boundaries between regions of distinct lower plate geometry. Their formation may be linked to changes in upper plate structure across long-lived upper plate faults. The Juan de Fuca plate is fragmenting within the seismogenic zone at Cascadia as the young plate bends beneath the heterogeneous upper plate resulting in structural domains that coincide with paleo-rupture segmentation.
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ArticleMethane seeps on the US Atlantic margin: An updated inventory and interpretative framework(Elsevier, 2024-04-09) Ruppel, Carolyn D. ; Skarke, Adam D. ; Miller, Nathaniel C. ; Kidiwela, Maleen Wijeratna ; Kluesner, Jared W. ; Baldwin, Wayne E.Since the discovery of >570 methane flares on the northern U.S. Atlantic margin between Cape Hatteras and Georges Bank in the last decade, the acquisition of thousands of kilometers of additional water column imaging data has provided greater coverage at water depths between the outer continental shelf and the lower continental slope. The additional high-resolution data reveal >1400 gas flares, but the removal of probable duplicates from the combined database of new flares and those recognized in 2014 yields ∼1139 unique sites. Most of these sites occur in clusters of 5 or more seeps, leaving about 275 unique locations (including 47 clusters) for seepage along the margin. As a function of depth, seep distribution is heavily skewed toward the upper continental slope at water depths shallower than 400 m on the southern New England margin and ∼ 550 m in the Mid-Atlantic Bight, with additional seeps clustered at ∼1100 m and just deeper than ∼1400 m in both sectors. Despite little ongoing tectonic deformation or active faulting on this passive margin, a variety of processes driven from below the seafloor (e.g., migration of fluids along faults or through permeable strata, seepage above diapirs or other pre-existing structures) and from above (e.g., erosion, sapping, unroofing) contribute to the development of seeps in different settings along the margin. In addition, the prevalence of seeps on promontories overlooking shelf-breaking canyons may be directly related to the three-dimensional nature of the hydrate stability zone in these locations. As a function of depth, the parts of the slope at the contemporary landward limit of gas hydrate stability are devoid of seeps, and the upper slope zones with the most concentrated seepage were not within the gas hydrate stability zone even during the Last Glacial Maximum. Thus, if the large number of upper slope seeps is at least partially sourced in gas hydrate degradation, the gas emitted at these seeps must have migrated there from greater depths on the continental slope.