4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
[SCG51-10] Analyzing XCT data of Oman drilling cores : Towards the understanding of mantle continuous structure
Keywords:mantle flow, Oman ophiolite, peridotite, X-ray computed tomography
The Oman ophiolite, the largest fragment of an oceanic plate, preserves asthenospheric mantle structures in its peridotites, and has been a key target for mantle flow studies [1]. For instance, structural analyses of the mantle section in the Oman ophiolite have proposed a model in which the uppermost mantle experiences intense horizontal flow near the margin of a mantle diapir, an actively upwelling region beneath an oceanic spreading center [2][3]. However, these analyses have primarily relied on scattered outcrop samples, often resulting in general observations, which make it difficult to achieve a quantitative understanding of continuous mantle flow.
In the Oman drilling project, continuous 300-400 meters cores were drilled from multiple locations on the Oman ophiolite. These cores were imaged using an X-ray computed tomography (XCT) scanner onboard the drilling vessel Chikyu to provide high-resolution three-dimensional density data [4]. We extracted the particle shapes and orientations from the XCT data of the Oman drilling cores and conducted statistical analyses to quantify the continuous variation in morphological features. By integrating these morphological characteristics with the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivine [5], we reconstructed the continuous mantle flow patterns preserved in the ophiolite.
References
[1] Nicolas 1989 The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
[2] Nicolas et al. 1988 Marine Geophysical Researches, 9, 293–310.
[3] Michibayashi et al. 2000 Marine Geophysical Researches, 21, 259–268.
[4] Kelemen et al. 2020 Proceedings of the Oman Drilling Project.
[5] Michibayahi et al. 2025 LITHOS, 496-497, 107970.
In the Oman drilling project, continuous 300-400 meters cores were drilled from multiple locations on the Oman ophiolite. These cores were imaged using an X-ray computed tomography (XCT) scanner onboard the drilling vessel Chikyu to provide high-resolution three-dimensional density data [4]. We extracted the particle shapes and orientations from the XCT data of the Oman drilling cores and conducted statistical analyses to quantify the continuous variation in morphological features. By integrating these morphological characteristics with the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivine [5], we reconstructed the continuous mantle flow patterns preserved in the ophiolite.
References
[1] Nicolas 1989 The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
[2] Nicolas et al. 1988 Marine Geophysical Researches, 9, 293–310.
[3] Michibayashi et al. 2000 Marine Geophysical Researches, 21, 259–268.
[4] Kelemen et al. 2020 Proceedings of the Oman Drilling Project.
[5] Michibayahi et al. 2025 LITHOS, 496-497, 107970.