GERBAULT , M.

Overpressure within a circular magmatic chamber embedded in an elastic half space is a widely used model in volcanology. However, this overpressure is generally assumed to be bounded by the bedrock tensile strength since gravity is neglected. Critical overpressure for wall failure is thus greater. It is shown analytically and numerically that...

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, v. 275, n. 1-2, p. 196-199, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.08.008

The aim of this paper is to explore the link between the metamorphic record of a Palaeoproterozoic orogeny and its thermo-mechanical evolution, in order to discuss the burial and exhumation processes of moderate-to high-pressure volcano-sedimentary rocks (6–8 to >10 kbar) in the Birimian Province (2.2–2.0 Ga) of the West African Craton....

The Chilean Andes extend north–south for about 3000 km over the subducting Nazca plate, and show evidence of local rheological controls on first-order tectonic features. Here, rheological parameters are tested with numerical models of a subduction driven by slab-pull and upper plate velocities, and which calculate the development of stress and...

The aim of this study is to quantify the relationship between the kinematics of subduction, deformation in the overriding plate and the evolution of slab geometry. A 2-D finite element numerical code is used, and a first objective consists in benchmarking previously published analogue models. Far-field plate velocities are applied, and once the...

Our study compares the seismic properties between the flat and normal subduction regions in central Chile, to better understand the links between the slab geometry, surface deformation and the deeper structures. In comparison with previous studies, we show the most complete 3-D regional seismic tomography images for this region, in which we use...

Slab dip controls the state of stress in an overriding plate and affects mountain building. Analog and numerical models have shown variations in tectonic regime induced by slab folding over the 660 km depth discontinuity zone in orthogonal convergence. Here using a three‐dimensional model of oblique subduction (30°) and accounting for free top...

Comparison of the eroded off-rift zone left inactive by plate motion with the inner active seismic rift zone allows us to constrain the fracturing mechanisms. In eastern off-rift zone, we measured 423 fault slips (including normal and strike-slip faults). Inversion of fault slip data reveals the parallelism of the minimum stress (σ3) computed...

We present a new approach for the lithosphere‐asthenosphere interaction in subduction zones. The lithosphere is modeled as a Maxwell viscoelastic body sinking in the viscous asthenosphere. Both domains are discretized by the finite element method, and we use a staggered coupling method. The interaction is provided by a nonmatching interface...

We are pleased to present in this Special Issue "Earthquakes in subduction zones, a multidisciplinary approach" of the journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, a selection of papers presented during the International Conference Montessus de Ballore held in Santiago, Chile, in November 2006. This conference was organized by the...

Determining the mechanisms that promote large silicic eruptions is one of the biggest challenges in volcanic hazard assessment. The 2011-2012 Cordón-Caulle eruption in Chile was one of the largest silicic eruptions of the 21st century and was characterized by a rapid change from explosive to effusive behavior. This eruption was preceded by...