@phdthesis{Gholamrezaie2021, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad}, title = {Variations of lithospheric strength in different tectonic settings}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-51146}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-511467}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xiii, 147}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Rheology describes the flow of matter under the influence of stress, and - related to solids- it investigates how solids subjected to stresses deform. As the deformation of the Earth's outer layers, the lithosphere and the crust, is a major focus of rheological studies, rheology in the geosciences describes how strain evolves in rocks of variable composition and temperature under tectonic stresses. It is here where deformation processes shape the form of ocean basins and mountain belts that ultimately result from the complex interplay between lithospheric plate motion and the susceptibility of rocks to the influence of plate-tectonic forces. A rigorous study of the strength of the lithosphere and deformation phenomena thus requires in-depth studies of the rheological characteristics of the involved materials and the temporal framework of deformation processes. This dissertation aims at analyzing the influence of the physical configuration of the lithosphere on the present-day thermal field and the overall rheological characteristics of the lithosphere to better understand variable expressions in the formation of passive continental margins and the behavior of strike-slip fault zones. The main methodological approach chosen is to estimate the present-day thermal field and the strength of the lithosphere by 3-D numerical modeling. The distribution of rock properties is provided by 3-D structural models, which are used as the basis for the thermal and rheological modeling. The structural models are based on geophysical and geological data integration, additionally constrained by 3-D density modeling. More specifically, to decipher the thermal and rheological characteristics of the lithosphere in both oceanic and continental domains, sedimentary basins in the Sea of Marmara (continental transform setting), the SW African passive margin (old oceanic crust), and the Norwegian passive margin (young oceanic crust) were selected for this study. The Sea of Marmara, in northwestern Turkey, is located where the dextral North Anatolian Fault zone (NAFZ) accommodates the westward escape of the Anatolian Plate toward the Aegean. Geophysical observations indicate that the crust is heterogeneous beneath the Marmara basin, but a detailed characterization of the lateral crustal heterogeneities is presented for the first time in this study. Here, I use different gravity datasets and the general non-uniqueness in potential field modeling, to propose three possible end-member scenarios of crustal configuration. The models suggest that pronounced gravitational anomalies in the basin originate from significant density heterogeneities within the crust. The rheological modeling reveals that associated variations in lithospheric strength control the mechanical segmentation of the NAFZ. Importantly, a strong crust that is mechanically coupled to the upper mantle spatially correlates with aseismic patches where the fault bends and changes its strike in response to the presence of high-density lower crustal bodies. Between the bends, mechanically weaker crustal domains that are decoupled from the mantle are characterized by creep. For the passive margins of SW Africa and Norway, two previously published 3-D conductive and lithospheric-scale thermal models were analyzed. These 3-D models differentiate various sedimentary, crustal, and mantle units and integrate different geophysical data, such as seismic observations and the gravity field. Here, the rheological modeling suggests that the present-day lithospheric strength across the oceanic domain is ultimately affected by the age and past thermal and tectonic processes as well as the depth of the thermal lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary, while the configuration of the crystalline crust dominantly controls the rheological behavior of the lithosphere beneath the continental domains of both passive margins. The thermal and rheological models show that the variations of lithospheric strength are fundamentally influenced by the temperature distribution within the lithosphere. Moreover, as the composition of the lithosphere significantly influences the present-day thermal field, it therefore also affects the rheological characteristics of the lithosphere. Overall my studies add to our understanding of regional tectonic deformation processes and the long-term behavior of sedimentary basins; they confirm other analyses that have pointed out that crustal heterogeneities in the continents result in diverse lithospheric thermal characteristics, which in turn results in higher complexity and variations of rheological behavior compared to oceanic domains with a thinner, more homogeneous crust.}, language = {en} } @misc{GholamrezaieScheckWenderothBottetal.2019, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Bott, Judith and Heidbach, Oliver and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {3-D crustal density model of the Sea of Marmara}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {737}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-43466}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-434661}, pages = {785 -- 807}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Abstract. The Sea of Marmara, in northwestern Turkey, is a transition zone where the dextral North Anatolian Fault zone (NAFZ) propagates westward from the Anatolian Plate to the Aegean Sea Plate. The area is of interest in the context of seismic hazard of Istanbul, a metropolitan area with about 15 million inhabitants. Geophysical observations indicate that the crust is heterogeneous beneath the Marmara basin, but a detailed characterization of the crustal heterogeneities is still missing. To assess if and how crustal heterogeneities are related to the NAFZ segmentation below the Sea of Marmara, we develop new crustal-scale 3-D density models which integrate geological and seismological data and that are additionally constrained by 3-D gravity modeling. For the latter, we use two different gravity datasets including global satellite data and local marine gravity observation. Considering the two different datasets and the general non-uniqueness in potential field modeling, we suggest three possible "end-member" solutions that are all consistent with the observed gravity field and illustrate the spectrum of possible solutions. These models indicate that the observed gravitational anomalies originate from significant density heterogeneities within the crust. Two layers of sediments, one syn-kinematic and one pre-kinematic with respect to the Sea of Marmara formation are underlain by a heterogeneous crystalline crust. A felsic upper crystalline crust (average density of 2720 kgm⁻³) and an intermediate to mafic lower crystalline crust (average density of 2890 kgm⁻³) appear to be cross-cut by two large, dome-shaped mafic highdensity bodies (density of 2890 to 3150 kgm⁻³) of considerable thickness above a rather uniform lithospheric mantle (3300 kgm⁻³). The spatial correlation between two major bends of the main Marmara fault and the location of the highdensity bodies suggests that the distribution of lithological heterogeneities within the crust controls the rheological behavior along the NAFZ and, consequently, maybe influences fault segmentation and thus the seismic hazard assessment in the region.}, language = {en} } @misc{GholamrezaieScheckWenderothSippeletal.2018, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Sippel, Judith and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {Variability of the geothermal gradient across two differently aged magma-rich continental rifted margins of the Atlantic Ocean}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-409493}, pages = {19}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Abstract. The aim of this study is to investigate the shallow thermal field differences for two differently aged passive continental margins by analyzing regional variations in geothermal gradient and exploring the controlling factors for these variations. Hence, we analyzed two previously published 3-D conductive and lithospheric-scale thermal models of the Southwest African and the Norwegian passive margins. These 3-D models differentiate various sedimentary, crustal, and mantle units and integrate different geophysical data such as seismic observations and the gravity field. We extracted the temperature-depth distributions in 1 km intervals down to 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition. The geothermal gradient was then calculated for these intervals between the upper thermal boundary condition and the respective depth levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition). According to our results, the geothermal gradient decreases with increasing depth and shows varying lateral trends and values for these two different margins. We compare the 3-D geological structural models and the geothermal gradient variations for both thermal models and show how radiogenic heat production, sediment insulating effect, and thermal lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) depth influence the shallow thermal field pattern. The results indicate an ongoing process of oceanic mantle cooling at the young Norwegian margin compared with the old SW African passive margin that seems to be thermally equilibrated in the present day.}, language = {en} } @misc{GholamrezaieScheckWenderothSippeletal.2018, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Sippel, Judith and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {Variability of the geothermal gradient across two differently aged magma-rich continental rifted margins of the Atlantic Ocean}, series = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsadm : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, journal = {Postprints der Universit{\"a}t Potsadm : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe}, number = {621}, issn = {1866-8372}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-41821}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-418210}, pages = {20}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The aim of this study is to investigate the shal- low thermal field differences for two differently aged pas- sive continental margins by analyzing regional variations in geothermal gradient and exploring the controlling factors for these variations. Hence, we analyzed two previously pub- lished 3-D conductive and lithospheric-scale thermal models of the Southwest African and the Norwegian passive mar- gins. These 3-D models differentiate various sedimentary, crustal, and mantle units and integrate different geophysi- cal data such as seismic observations and the gravity field. We extracted the temperature-depth distributions in 1 km intervals down to 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition. The geothermal gradient was then calculated for these intervals between the upper thermal boundary condi- tion and the respective depth levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition). According to our results, the geothermal gradient decreases with increas- ing depth and shows varying lateral trends and values for these two different margins. We compare the 3-D geologi- cal structural models and the geothermal gradient variations for both thermal models and show how radiogenic heat pro- duction, sediment insulating effect, and thermal lithosphere- asthenosphere boundary (LAB) depth influence the shallow thermal field pattern. The results indicate an ongoing process of oceanic mantle cooling at the young Norwegian margin compared with the old SW African passive margin that seems to be thermally equilibrated in the present day.}, language = {en} } @article{GholamrezaieScheckWenderothBottetal.2019, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Bott, Judith and Heidbach, Oliver and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {3-D crustal density model of the Sea of Marmara}, series = {Solid Earth}, volume = {10}, journal = {Solid Earth}, publisher = {Copernicus Publ.}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1869-9510}, doi = {10.5194/se-10-785-2019}, pages = {785 -- 807}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Abstract. The Sea of Marmara, in northwestern Turkey, is a transition zone where the dextral North Anatolian Fault zone (NAFZ) propagates westward from the Anatolian Plate to the Aegean Sea Plate. The area is of interest in the context of seismic hazard of Istanbul, a metropolitan area with about 15 million inhabitants. Geophysical observations indicate that the crust is heterogeneous beneath the Marmara basin, but a detailed characterization of the crustal heterogeneities is still missing. To assess if and how crustal heterogeneities are related to the NAFZ segmentation below the Sea of Marmara, we develop new crustal-scale 3-D density models which integrate geological and seismological data and that are additionally constrained by 3-D gravity modeling. For the latter, we use two different gravity datasets including global satellite data and local marine gravity observation. Considering the two different datasets and the general non-uniqueness in potential field modeling, we suggest three possible "end-member" solutions that are all consistent with the observed gravity field and illustrate the spectrum of possible solutions. These models indicate that the observed gravitational anomalies originate from significant density heterogeneities within the crust. Two layers of sediments, one syn-kinematic and one pre-kinematic with respect to the Sea of Marmara formation are underlain by a heterogeneous crystalline crust. A felsic upper crystalline crust (average density of 2720 kgm⁻³) and an intermediate to mafic lower crystalline crust (average density of 2890 kgm⁻³) appear to be cross-cut by two large, dome-shaped mafic highdensity bodies (density of 2890 to 3150 kgm⁻³) of considerable thickness above a rather uniform lithospheric mantle (3300 kgm⁻³). The spatial correlation between two major bends of the main Marmara fault and the location of the highdensity bodies suggests that the distribution of lithological heterogeneities within the crust controls the rheological behavior along the NAFZ and, consequently, maybe influences fault segmentation and thus the seismic hazard assessment in the region.}, language = {en} } @article{GholamrezaieScheckWenderothSippeletal.2018, author = {Gholamrezaie, Ershad and Scheck-Wenderoth, Magdalena and Sippel, Judith and Strecker, Manfred}, title = {Variability of the geothermal gradient across two differently aged magma-rich continental rifted margins of the Atlantic Ocean}, series = {Solid Earth}, volume = {9}, journal = {Solid Earth}, number = {1}, publisher = {Copernicus}, address = {G{\"o}ttingen}, issn = {1869-9529}, doi = {10.5194/se-9-139-2018}, pages = {139 -- 158}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Abstract. The aim of this study is to investigate the shallow thermal field differences for two differently aged passive continental margins by analyzing regional variations in geothermal gradient and exploring the controlling factors for these variations. Hence, we analyzed two previously published 3-D conductive and lithospheric-scale thermal models of the Southwest African and the Norwegian passive margins. These 3-D models differentiate various sedimentary, crustal, and mantle units and integrate different geophysical data such as seismic observations and the gravity field. We extracted the temperature-depth distributions in 1 km intervals down to 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition. The geothermal gradient was then calculated for these intervals between the upper thermal boundary condition and the respective depth levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 km below the upper thermal boundary condition). According to our results, the geothermal gradient decreases with increasing depth and shows varying lateral trends and values for these two different margins. We compare the 3-D geological structural models and the geothermal gradient variations for both thermal models and show how radiogenic heat production, sediment insulating effect, and thermal lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) depth influence the shallow thermal field pattern. The results indicate an ongoing process of oceanic mantle cooling at the young Norwegian margin compared with the old SW African passive margin that seems to be thermally equilibrated in the present day.}, language = {en} }