Browsing by Author "Wilson, CJL"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Dynamics of ice mass deformation: Linking processes to rheology, texture, and microstructure
    (American Geophysical Union, 2013-10-01) Piazolo, S; Wilson, CJL; Luzin, V; Brouzet, C; Peternell, M
    Prediction of glacier and polar ice sheet dynamics is a major challenge, especially in view of changing climate. The flow behavior of an ice mass is fundamentally linked to processes at the grain and subgrain scale. However, our understanding of ice rheology and microstructure evolution based on conventional deformation experiments, where samples are analyzed before and after deformation, remains incomplete. To close this gap, we combine deformation experiments with in situ neutron diffraction textural and grain analysis that allows continuous monitoring of the evolution of rheology, texture, and microstructure. We prepared ice samples from deuterium water, as hydrogen in water ice has a high incoherent neutron scattering rendering it unsuitable for neutron diffraction analysis. We report experimental results from deformation of initially randomly oriented polycrystalline ice at three different constant strain rates. Results show a dynamic system where steady-state rheology is not necessarily coupled to microstructural and textural stability. Textures change from a weak single central c axis maxima to a strong girdle distribution at 35° to the compression axis attributed to dominance of basal slip followed by basal combined with pyramidal slip. Dislocation-related hardening accompanies this switch and is followed by weakening due to new grain nucleation and grain boundary migration. With decreasing strain rate, grain boundary migration becomes increasingly dominant and texture more pronounced. Our observations highlight the link between the dynamics of processes competition and rheological and textural behavior. This link needs to be taken into account to improve ice mass deformation modeling critical for climate change predictions. © 2013, American Geophysical Union.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Microstructure and fabric development in ice: Lessons learned from in situ experiments and implications for understanding rock evolution
    (Elsevier, 2014-04) Wilson, CJL; Peternell, M; Piazolo, S; Luzin, V
    In this contribution we present a review of the evolution of microstructures and fabric in ice. Based on the review we show the potential use of ice as an analogue for rocks by considering selected examples that can be related to quartz-rich rocks. Advances in our understanding of the plasticity of ice have come from experimental investigations that clearly show that plastic deformation of polycrystalline ice is initially produced by basal slip. Interaction of dislocations play an essential role for dynamic recrystallization processes involving grain nucleation and grain-boundary migration during the steady-state flow of ice. To support this review we describe deformation in polycrystalline ‘standard’ water-ice and natural-ice samples, summarize other experiments involving bulk samples and use in situ plane-strain deformation experiments to illustrate the link between microstructure and fabric evolution, rheological response and dominant processes. Most terrestrial ice masses deform at low shear stresses by grain-size-insensitive creep with a stress exponent (n ≤ 3). However, from experimental observations it is shown that the distribution of plastic activity producing the microstructure and fabric is initially dominated by grain-boundary migration during hardening (primary creep), followed by dynamic recrystallization during transient creep (secondary creep) involving new grain nucleation, with further cycles of grain growth and nucleation resulting in near steady-state creep (tertiary creep). The microstructural transitions and inferred mechanism changes are a function of local and bulk variations in strain energy (i.e. dislocation densities) with surface grain-boundary energy being secondary, except in the case of static annealing. As there is a clear correspondence between the rheology of ice and the high-temperature deformation dislocation creep regime of polycrystalline quartz, we suggest that lessons learnt from ice deformation can be used to interpret polycrystalline quartz deformation. Different to quartz, ice allows experimental investigations at close to natural strain rate, and through in-situ experiments offers the opportunity to study the dynamic link between microstructural development, rheology and the identification of the dominant processes. © 2013, Elsevier Ltd.