Effects of Alteration and Cracks on the Seismic Velocity Structure of Oceanic Lithosphere Inferred From Ultrasonic Measurements of Mafic and Ultramafic Samples Collected by the Oman Drilling Project

Seismic velocity structures of the oceanic lithosphere are variable due to the variation of alteration and heterogeneities in porosity. In order to interpret geophysically determined velocity structures, it is necessary to understand how the seismic velocity of the oceanic lithosphere is affected by alteration and porosity. We conducted petrological analysis and elastic wave velocity measurements at 200 MPa on mafic and ultramafic rocks drilled from the Samail ophiolite. The elastic wave velocity calculated from the mineral abundances of the ultramafic rocks was sensitive to serpentinization, whereas that of the mafic rocks was nearly independent of the alteration, suggesting that velocity changes with depth in the oceanic crust are mainly due to porosity reduction. Based on the effective medium theory and pressure dependence of the experimentally determined velocity, the change in the porosity was estimated to be 0.04%-0.42% at 200 MPa, indicating porosity reduction by the increase of lithostatic pressure in the oceanic crust in the fast-spreading system such as the Pacific plate. We estimated the degree of hydration in the mantle to account for the geophysical observations based on the laboratory experiments. Both the crustal porosity and mantle serpentinization increase towards the trench due to fracture related plate bending, indicating extensive hydration of the oceanic lithosphere close to the trench. From these estimates, water contents in the oceanic lithosphere were calculated to be as high as 3 wt.% in the shallow crust and 6 wt.% in the upper most mantle, which is significant for water transport into Earth's interior.

Automated summary

The study investigated the seismic velocity structures of the oceanic lithosphere, finding that alterations and porosity significantly affect the seismic velocity. The research estimated changes in porosity in the oceanic crust and increasing hydration in the mantle, resulting in high water content in the oceanic lithosphere, which has implications for water transport into Earth's interior.