Asymmetric Mid-Ocean ridges: Interplay Between Plate and Mantle Processes and Consequences for Melting

Mid-ocean ridges constitute a fundamental component of the global plate tectonic system. The classical view of ridges is of symmetric system, where plates diverge, generating a mostly passive upwelling immediately underneath the ridge axis. However, observations of mid-ocean ridges draw quite a different picture. At the Southern East Pacific Rise, plate subsidence (related to plate age) occurs at different rates on the Pacific and Nazca plates, implying different rates of accretion on each side of the ridge. At greater depth, the melting region extends much further beneath the Pacific plate than the Nazca plate. Asymmetry is also evident in slow spreading center. For examples, at the 13°N segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, isochrons are more widely spaced on the American side than the European side. Core complexes along the axis are another manifestation of asymmetric accretion at that location.

In this contribution, we seek to understand how is the melting system affected by ridge asymmetry. First, we discuss the different ways that an asymmetric ridge may develop. We present an analytical solution of mantle flow in the mantle underneath spreading centers that considers 1) different rates of accretion in on the two plates; 2) migration of the ridge system with respect to the underlying mantle (Couette flow in the asthenosphere); 3) mantle wind (Poiseuille flow in the asthenosphere); 4) different slopes of the lithosphere underneath each plate; and 5) any combination of the above. These solutions assume an isoviscous mantle underneath the lithosphere. Asymmetry in mantle flow is observed in each case. The temperature field associated with each case implies that melting is suppressed by the asymmetric accretion, although deeper processes have little effect on melting. As asymmetric accretion is thought to develop when melt flux to the axis is reduced, there is the possibility of a positive feedback that forces segments to switch between symmetric and asymmetric spreading. However, the effect of asymmetry is reduced in numerical models with temperature-dependent viscosity as the thermally defined slope of the lithosphere counteracts the effect of asymmetric accretion.