Rheology and Tectonic Significance of Serpentinite

Research Article| April 01, 2013 Rheology and Tectonic Significance of Serpentinite Greg Hirth; Greg Hirth 1Department of Geological Sciences, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02912, USAE-mail: Greg_Hirth@brown.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stéphane Guillot Stéphane Guillot 2CNRS, Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Université de Grenoble1381 rue de la Piscine, 38041 Grenoble cedex, FranceE-mail: stephane.guillot@ujf-grenoble.fr Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Elements (2013) 9 (2): 107–113. https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.9.2.107 Article history first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Greg Hirth, Stéphane Guillot; Rheology and Tectonic Significance of Serpentinite. Elements 2013;; 9 (2): 107–113. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gselements.9.2.107 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyElements Search Advanced Search Abstract Serpentinites occur in many active geologic settings and control the rheology of the lithosphere where aqueous fluids interact with ultramafic rocks. The crystal structure of serpentine-group minerals results in diagnostic physical properties that are important for interpreting a wide range of geophysical data and impart unique rheological behaviors. Serpentinites play an important role during continental rifting and oceanic spreading, in strain localization along lithospheric strike-slip faults, and in subduction zone processes. The rheology of serpentine is key for understanding the nucleation and propagation of earthquakes, and the relative weakness of serpentinite can significantly affect geodynamic processes at tectonic plate boundaries. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.