田小川

Tian, Xiaochuan

(A 'little river' that flows from the mountain peaks to the ocean deeps)

x.tian@bc.edu

“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.” – Will Durant

Overview:

Since the birth of the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, magmatic and tectonic processes have been pivotal in shaping the planet’s geology, from the formation of continental crust to the cyclic assembly and breakup of supercontinents. Often time, these events can significantly perturb the climate and biosphere, causing mass extinctions.

As a geophysicist with general Earth science training, I like to use Geodynamic models to study the causes and consequences of magmatic and tectonic processes at the Earth’s plate boundaries and during formation of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs).

In the pursuit of simplicity amid the nature’s inherent complexity, my research emphasizes uncovering the general first-order controls underlying intricate phenomena.

To achieve this, I employ a combination of analytical and numerical models, validating them against a wide range of observational constraints from geology, geophysics, geochemistry, petrology, geodesy, and paleoclimate. The overarching goal is to deepen our understanding of plate tectonics and its influence on the habitability of our planet.

Publications:

Tian, X., Behn, M.D., Ito, G, Schierjott, J. C., Kaus, B. J., Popov, A. Magmatism controls global oceanic transform fault topography. Nature Communications 15,1914 (2024). -->(link)

  • Spreading-rate dependent magmatism plays a central role in controlling the global systematics of oceanic transform fault topography, according to geodynamic modelling.
  • Plate motion change is not a necessary condition for reproducing oceanic transform topography.
  • Oceanic transform faults are not simple conservative strike-slip plate boundaries.
  • Shear induced tension & intrusive upwelling at ridge-transform intersections explain why fracture zones are consistently shallower than their adjacent transform fault zones.

AGU23 talk for the paper:

Tian, X. and Buck, W.R. Intrusions induce global warming before continental flood basalt volcanism. Nature Geoscience 15, 417–422 (2022). -->(link)

Open online access: https://rdcu.be/cNtEC

  • Crustal densification induces LIP main-phase eruptions
  • CO2 released from intrusions induces pre-eruption global warming.
  • 1D sill intrusion model explicitly determines the depth of each sill intrusion based on how earlier sills changed the thermal and compositional structure of the crust.
  • Sill intrusion model output CO2 flux into LOSCAR to calculate climate response.

AGU22 invited talk for the paper:

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Tian, X. and Buck, W.R. Lithospheric Thickness at Rifting Margins: Constraints from Seaward Dipping Reflectors. Journal of Geophysical Research (2019).-->(.pdf)

  • 2D thermo-mechanical model for seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs) formation.
  • Analytical mapping between the shape of SDRs and the plate strength at the time of rifting
  • Plate thickness correlates inversely with mantle potential temperature of extrusives.

Thesis Defense presentation for the paper:

Tian, X. & Choi, E. Effects of axially variable diking rates on faulting at slow spreading mid-ocean ridges. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 458, 14-21 (2017). -->(.pdf)

  • 3D model for interactions of magmatic diking and normal faulting at slow-spreading MORs.
  • Along-axis stress coupling inhibits the domination of a particular faulting mode associated with an extreme local diking rate.
  • Quantify regime boundary between 3 Modes of faulting: asymmetric core complex, symmetric abyssal hill and transitional mode.

Thesis

Tian, Xiaochuan. Structural and Climatic Effects of Large-Scale Basaltic Magmatism: Constraints and Insights from Geodynamic Models. PhD dissertation, Columbia University, (2021). --(.pdf)

Please see the following Thesis Defense presentation on 2021-January-27th:

Tian, Xiaochuan. 3D Numerical Models for Along-axis Variations in Diking at Mid-Ocean Ridges. Msc. Thesis, University of Memphis, (2015). --(.pdf)

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