Finite strain and relative rheology from field exposures of mantle peridotite, Twin Sisters, Washington

We present estimates of finite strain and relative rheology of naturally deformed mantle materials based on field observations in the Twin Sisters Range of Washington state. The Twin Sisters ultramafic body is a 16 by 5.5 km body located 30 km east of Bellingham, Washington. The outcrops show virtually no serpentinization away from the metamorphic sole. We conducted detailed structural mapping in a 100 by 150 meter field area located east of the crest of the Twin Sisters range and approximately midway between the north and south ends. The foliation strikes ~155 and the lineation pitches 40 S. Folded orthopyroxenite dikes within the host dunite allow us to characterize the finite strain. Dikes trending NE-SE were folded, while dikes trending NW-SE were elongated or boudinaged. Using the method of Talbot (1970), the principal stretch directions in the horizontal plane were calculated using the deformed dikes. We calculated a maximum stretch of 1.596 oriented at 151 (similar to the trace of the foliation) and a minimum stretch of 0.286 in direction 061. Assuming that the lineation and foliation represent the orientation of S1 and the S1S2 plane, respectively, a finite strain ellipsoid was determined. The best fitting answer defines an oblate ellipsoid with S1=3.15, S2=1.11, and S3=0.286. Thus, on this outcrop, the Twin Sisters dunite has an oblate-shaped finite strain ellipsoid whose long axis plunges 40 to the SE. The same area provides constraints on relative rheology. Folded orthopyroxenite dikes show a linear relationship between fold wavelength and dike thickness, indicating that they initiated as buckle folds. Using dynamic instability analysis, the orthopyroxene within the dikes is calculated to have ~31 times the effective viscosity of olivine of the dunite matrix, assuming a power law exponenent of n=3 (dislocation creep) for both the dikes and the matrix. Although not investigated in detail, similar orientations of fabrics are observed throughout the Twin Sisters body. Further, no high temperature localization zones were observed. This data suggests that large parts of the mantle may have relatively homogeneous fabric.