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Seismic properties of Leg 195 serpentinites and their geophysical implications

January 1, 2006

Knowledge of seismic velocities is necessary to constrain the lithologies encountered in seismic studies. We measured the seismic velocities, both compressional and shear wave, of clasts recovered during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 195 from a serpentine mud volcano, the South Chamorro Seamount. The compressional wave velocities of these clasts vary from a lower value of 5.5 km/s to an upper value of 6.1 km/s at a confining stress of 200 MPa. The shear wave velocities vary from a lower value of 2.8 km/s to an upper value of 3.3 km/s at a confining stress of 200 MPa. The densities of the samples vary from 2548 to 2701 kg/m3. These velocities and densities are representative of the highly serpentinized harzburgite and dunite mineralogy of the clasts. Velocities from a seismic study of the Izu-Bonin forearc wedge were used to calculate the degree of serpentinization in the forearc wedge. The seismic velocities of the forearc wedge are higher than the velocities of the clasts recovered from the South Chamorro Seamount, suggesting that the clasts are more serpentinized than the forearc wedge.

Publication Year 2006
Title Seismic properties of Leg 195 serpentinites and their geophysical implications
DOI 10.2973/odp.proc.sr.195.104.2004
Authors Anna M. Courtier, David J. Hart, Nikolas I. Christensen
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype Organization Series
Series Title Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program: Scientific Results
Series Number 195
Index ID 70028287
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
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