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A short electromagnetic profile across the Kane Oceanic Core Complex
Author(s) -
Evans Rob L.,
Escartín Javier,
Cannat Mathilde
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2010gl043813
Subject(s) - seafloor spreading , geology , peridotite , transition zone , gabbro , outcrop , mantle (geology) , geophysics , petrology , geochemistry , igneous rock
A short seafloor electromagnetic profile across part of the Kane Oceanic Core Complex shows a large variation in seafloor electrical properties (uppermost 30m) with a sharp transition from conductive to resistive seafloor over a distance of less than 350m. The transition is in a location consistent with a sharp, but deeper, lateral gradient in seismic velocity, inferred to mark a transition from serpentinized peridotite to either gabbro or pristine mantle rocks, and is close to a mapped outcrop of serpentinized peridotites. We relate this variability in shallow structure primarily to changes in porosity related to composition.