The Impact of Fe-Ti Oxide Concentration on the Structural Ridgity of the Lower Oceanic Crust, Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge

<p>Fe-Ti oxides are important components of oceanic core complexes (OCC) formed at slow-spreading mid-ocean ridges since Fe-Ti oxides are more susceptible to crystal-plastic deformation than silicate minerals. This study investigated the predicted relationship between the presence and concentration of Fe-Ti oxides and the presence and intensity of crystal-plastic deformation in gabbroic samples from Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR). Atlantis Bank is an oceanic core complex that formed through the exhumation of lower oceanic crust along a detachment fault. OCCs form along slow-spreading ridges and are characterized by the complex interactions between magmatism and lithospheric extension, thus making these complexes more susceptible to crystal-plastic deformation at higher temperatures. Atlantis Bank has been the focus of many scientific expeditions including: Ocean Drilling Program Holes 735B, and 1105A, International Oceanic Discovery Program Hole U1473A, and submersible studies. This study utilized samples from all three holes from near the seafloor to a depth of 1.5 km below the seafloor. This study calculated Fe-Ti oxide concentrations within the samples using the open source software package <em>Fiji</em> and statistically analyzed them using the open source software package <em>R</em>. The results indicate that Fe-Ti oxide concentration does correlate with crystal-plastic foliation (CPF) intensity, showing that 76.3% of samples with 5% or more Fe-Ti oxides have a corresponding CPF value of 2 or more (porphyroclastic foliation to ultramylonitc). These results indicate that there is a relationship between Fe-Ti oxide concentration and the CPF intensity within the samples taken from Atlantis Bank, SWIR.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geography and Geology

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Winkler, Daniel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Jeremy Deans
• Frank Heitmuller
• Mark Puckett

• Geology
• Oceanic Core Complexes
• Fe-Ti Oxides
• Deformation
• Fiji
• R
• Other Earth Sciences
• Tectonics and Structure

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/319

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1349