More sessions of Interest at the 2015 AGU Fall Meeting

T035. Oceanic and arc lithospheres: clues from modern examples and ophiolites

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T031. Marine Sedimentary Records of Climate-Tectonic Interactions

Session ID#: 8742

Theoretical considerations and field studies suggest that geodynamic and surficial processes are coupled within orogens. This session focuses on the evolution of orogens and associated diffuse plate boundary zones through the analysis of marine sedimentary strata where there is a greater potential for a well-dated, continuous record of these interactions. This session is timely given several recent scientific ocean drilling expeditions with the explicit objective to distinguish and quantify cause and effect relationships between tectonics and climate, particularly in areas of rapid sedimentation where the potential resolution of events is greatest. Presentations are encouraged that highlight the development and/or application of novel techniques, including but not limited to geophysical, geochemical, isotopic, and thermochronometric techniques as applied to marine sediments to study the temporal evolution of potentially coupled climate-geodynamic systems. We particularly welcome submissions on the Bengal, Indus and Nicobar Fans in the Indian Ocean.

Volkhard Spiess –  University of Bremen

Kolluru Sree Krishna, National Institute of Oceanography, Panjim, India

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T035: Oceanic and arc lithospheres: clues from modern examples and ophiolites

Session ID#: 8985

Much of what has been learned from Alpine-Himalayan ophiolite studies in the last ~50 years, despite lingering debate as to their exact genetic setting, has been widely used to interpret the structure of the oceanic lithosphere flooring modern oceans. In contrast, most Pacific ophiolitic complexes have been interpreted as newly created supra-subduction lithosphere formed in Arc to Forearc settings.

Intriguingly, the comparatively abundant studies of crustal and lithospheric structures formed at modern Mid Ocean Ridge, Back-arc, Arc, and Forearc settings have rarely been used to elucidate the nature of ophiolites and constrain where and how most ophiolites formed.

In an attempt to reconcile these contrasting views and approaches, we incite an across-communities discussion (with contributions from marine geology and geophysics, petrology-geochemistry, tectonics, ophiolite studies) to reexamine the link between modern oceans and arcs and their past ophiolitic analogues, and better assess what ophiolites tell us.