Constraining P-wave velocity variations in the upper mantle beneath Southeast Asia

We have produced a P-wave model of the upper mantle beneath Southeast (SE) Asia from reprocessed short period International Seismological Centre (ISC) P and pP data, short period P data of the Annual Bulletin of Chinese Earthquakes (ABCE), and long period PP-P data. We used 3D sensitivity kernels to combine the datasets, and mantle structure was parameterized with an irregular grid. In the best-sampled region our data resolve structure on scale lengths less than 150 km. The smearing of crustal anomalies to larger depths is reduced by a crustal correction using an a priori 3D model. Our tomographic inversions reveal high-velocity roots beneath the Archean Ordos Plateau, the Sichuan Basin, and other continental blocks in SE Asia. Beneath the Himalayan Block we detect high seismic velocities, which we associate with subduction of Indian lithospheric mantle. This structure is visible above the 410 km discontinuity and may not connect to the remnant of the Neo-Tethys oceanic slab in the lower mantle. Our images suggest that only the southwestern part of the Tibetan plateau is underlain by Indian lithosphere and, thus, that the upper mantle beneath northeastern Tibet is primarily of Asian origin. Our imaging also reveals a large-scale high-velocity structure in the transition zone beneath the Yangtze Craton, which could have been produced in multiple subduction episodes. The low P-wave velocities beneath the Hainan Island are most prominent in the upper mantle and transition zone; they may represent counter flow from the surrounding subduction zones, and may not be unrelated to processes beneath eastern Tibet.     

Surface wave array tomography in SE Tibet from ambient seismic noise and two-station analysis – II. Crustal and upper-mantle structure

We determine the 3-D shear wave speed variations in the crust and upper mantle in the southeastern borderland of the Tibetan Plateau, SW China, with data from 25 temporary broad-band stations and one permanent station. Interstation Rayleigh wave (phase velocity) dispersion curves were obtained at periods from 10 to 50 s from empirical Green's function (EGF) derived from (ambient noise) interferometry and from 20 to 150 s from traditional two-station (TS) analysis. Here, we use these measurements to construct phase velocity maps (from 10 to 150 s, using the average interstation dispersion from the EGF and TS methods between 20 and 50 s) and estimate from them (with the Neighbourhood Algorithm) the 3-D wave speed variations and their uncertainty. The crust structure, parametrized in three layers, can be well resolved with a horizontal resolution about of 100 km or less. Because of the possible effect of mechanically weak layers on regional deformation, of particular interest is the existence and geometry of low (shear) velocity layers (LVLs). In some regions prominent LVLs occur in the middle crust, in others they may appear in the lower crust. In some cases the lateral transition of shear wave speed coincides with major fault zones. The spatial variation in strength and depth of crustal LVLs suggests that the 3-D geometry of weak layers is complex and that unhindered crustal flow over large regions may not occur. Consideration of such complexity may be the key to a better understanding of relative block motion and patterns of seismicity.     

用Rayleigh面波方位各向异性研究中国大陆岩石圈形变特征

中国大陆地质构造历史非常复杂,岩石圈长期积累的形变较大,而利用地震面波传播的各向异性是研究岩石圈形变特征的强有力手段. 本文利用双台窄带通滤波-互相关方法与基于图像分析的相速度频散曲线提取技术,提取Rayleigh面波相速度频散资料,进而反演中国大陆及邻区20～120 s周期Rayleigh面波相速度方位各向异性空间分布图像. 检测板测试结果显示：中国大陆大部分区域的方位各向异性横向分辨率在5°左右. 各向异性研究结果表明：中国大陆地壳上地幔方位各向异性特征存在显著的空间差异,反映出形变特征的空间差异;104°E以东地区地壳上地幔各向异性弱于西部地区,表明其构造变形总体弱于西部地区. 青藏地块及其东缘地区地壳与上地幔顶部变形最为强烈. 但东部的局部地区如华南地块与珠江口地区、鄂尔多斯盆地西南缘以及秦岭-大别造山带,较强的各向异性显示这些区域在不同时期也经历了强变形. 青藏地块内中短周期快波方向自西向东顺时针旋转变化可能指示板块碰撞与挤压过程中软弱物质的流变方向. 青藏地块西部中下地壳和上地幔形变模式相似,可能处于壳幔耦合状态;而中东部及东缘地区地壳上地幔形变模式存在明显差异,壳幔似乎不具备垂直连贯的形变特征. 位于青藏地块北部的塔里木盆地、柴达木盆地以及祁连褶皱带同样经历了强变形. 包括四川盆地在内的上扬子地块快波方向的变化显示中地壳与下地壳上地幔形变模式不同,而形变特征一致的下地壳与上地幔应为强耦合. 大约以103°E为界,龙门山断裂带可分为南西段和北东段,南西段处于低速区,而北东段位于高速区,且方位各向异性强度明显大于南西段;2008年5月12日汶川M_S8.0级地震沿断裂带的单侧破裂模式除与北东段的高应力积累有关外,还可能与北东段地下介质物性存在密切关系,高速坚硬岩体的发育有利于应变能的积累与集中释放.     

川西地区台阵环境噪声瑞利波相速度层析成像

2006年中国地震局地质研究所地震动力学国家重点实验室在川西地区(26°N~32°N,100°E~105°E)布设了由297台宽频带数字地震仪组成的流动观测台阵.利用该密集台阵29°N以北156个台站2007年1~12月份的地震环境噪声记录和互相关技术,我们得到了所有台站对的面波经验格林函数和瑞利波相速度频散曲线,并进一步反演得到了观测台阵下方2~35 s周期的瑞利波相速度分布图像．本文结果表明,观测台阵覆盖的川滇地块、松潘-甘孜地块和四川盆地的地壳速度结构存在显著差异,具体表现为：(1)短周期（2~8 s）相速度分布与地表构造特征相吻合,作为川滇地块、松潘-甘孜地块和四川盆地之间的边界断裂,龙门山断裂带和鲜水河断裂带对上述三个地块上地壳的速度结构具有明显的控制作用,四川盆地前陆低速特征表明相应区域存在较厚的（约10 km）沉积盖层;(2)中周期（12~18 s）相速度分布表明,川滇地块和松潘-甘孜地块中上地壳速度结构存在明显的不均匀横向变化,并形成了尺度不同且高、低速相间的分块结构,而四川盆地中地壳整体上已经表现出相对高速;(3)长周期（25~35 s）相速度分布表明,松潘-甘孜地块,特别是川滇地块中下地壳表现为广泛的明显低速异常,意味着它们的中下地壳相对软弱,而四川盆地的中下地壳呈现整体性的相对高速,意味着四川盆地具有相对坚硬的中下地壳,并且以汶川地震的震中为界,龙门山断裂带的地壳结构显示了北段为高速异常,南段为低速异常的分段特征．     

Core mantle boundary topography from short period PcP, PKP, and PKKP data

We use a total of 839,369 PcP, PKPab, PKPbc, PKPdf, PKKPab, and PKKPbc residual travel times from [Bull. Seism. Soc. Am. 88 (1998) 722] grouped in 29,837 summary rays to constrain lateral variation in the depth to the core-mantle boundary (CMB). We assumed a homogeneous outer core, and the data were corrected for mantle structure and inner-core anisotropy. Inversions of separate data sets yield amplitude variations of up to 5 km for PcP, PKPab, PKPbc, and PKKP and 13 km for PKPdf. This is larger than the CMB undulations inferred in geodetic studies and, moreover, the PcP results are not readily consistent with the inferences from PKP and PKKP. Although the source-receiver ambiguity for the core-refracted phases can explain some of it, this discrepancy suggest that the travel-time residuals cannot be explained by topography alone. The wavespeed perturbations in the tomographic model used for the mantle corrections might be too small to fully account for the trade off between volumetric heterogeneity and CMB topography. In a second experiment we therefore re-applied corrections for mantle structure outside a basal 290 km-thick layer and inverted all data jointly for both CMB topography and volumetric heterogeneity within this layer. The resultant CMB model can explain PcP, PKP, and PKKP residuals and has approximately 0.2 km excess core ellipticity, which is in good agreement with inferences from free core nutation observations. Joint inversion yields a peak-to-peak amplitude of CMB topography of about 3 km, and the inversion yields velocity variations of ±5% in the basal layer. The latter suggests a strong trade-off between topography and volumetric heterogeneity, but uncertainty analyses suggest that the variation in core radius can be resolved. The spherical averages of all inverted topographic models suggest that the data are best fit if the actual CMB radius is 1.5 km less than in the Earth reference model used (i.e. the average outer core radius would be 3478 km).     

Crustal thickness, discontinuity depth, and upper mantle structure beneath southern Africa: constraints from body wave conversions

The technique of receiver function analysis is applied to the study of crustal and upper mantle structures beneath the Kaapvaal craton in southern Africa and its surroundings. Seismic data were recorded by the seismic array of 82 sites deployed from April 1997 to April 1999 across southern Africa, as well as a dense array of 32 sites near Kimberley, in operation from December 1998 to June 1999. Arrival times for phases converted at the Moho are used to determine crustal thickness. The Moho depth in the south–western section of the craton was found to vary between 37 and 40 km, except for one station that recorded a depth of 43 km (SA23). Farther north along the western block of the craton (into Botswana) the depth increases up to 43 km. The depth increases even further in the north–eastern section of the craton, where results vary from 40 to 52 km. Just north of the Kaapvaal craton, in the neighbouring Zimbabwe craton, the crustal thickness drops significantly. The results obtained there varied from 36 to 40 km. For the Kimberley area, using the dense array, the Moho depth was found to be 37.3 km. Arrivals of the Ps and Ppps phases were used to determine the Poisson’s ratio in the region. This was found to be 0.26±0.01. Arrivals of phases from the 410 and 660 km mantle discontinuities are used to interpret the relative positions of these discontinuities, as well as for comparison of mantle temperatures and seismic velocities in the region with global averages. In the Kimberley area the 410 and 660 km discontinuities were found at their expected depth, implying that mantle temperatures in the region are close to the global average. The seismic velocities above the ‘410’ were found up to 5% faster than the averages from the global iasp91 model, which is fast even by Precambrian standards. In other sections of the Kaapvaal craton, the velocities are also faster than global averages, but not as fast as beneath Kimberley. In these sections, the ‘410’ is also slightly elevated, while the ‘660’ is depressed, which implies a slightly lower mantle temperature relative to the global average. Beneath the Kaapvaal craton we find evidence suggesting the presence of a zone with a reduced wavespeed gradient at an upper bound of approximately 300 km, which may mark the lower chemical boundary of the craton.     

Two-dimensional modelling of subduction zone anisotropy with application to southwestern Japan

We present a series of 2-D numerical models of viscous flow in the mantle wedge induced by a subducting lithospheric plate. We use a kinematically defined slab geometry approximating the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate beneath Eurasia. Through finite element modelling we explore the effects of different rheological and thermal constraints (e.g. a low-viscosity region in the wedge corner, power law versus Newtonian rheology, the inclusion of thermal buoyancy forces and a temperature-dependent viscosity law) on the velocity and finite strain field in the mantle wedge. From the numerical flow models we construct models of anisotropy in the wedge by calculating the evolution of the finite strain ellipse and combining its geometry with appropriate elastic constants for effective transversely isotropic mantle material. We then predict shear wave splitting for stations located above the model domain using expressions derived from anisotropic perturbation theory, and compare the predictions to ∼500 previously published shear wave splitting measurements from seventeen stations of the broad-band F-net array located in southwestern Japan. Although the use of different model parameters can have a substantial effect on the character of the finite strain field, the effect on the average predicted splitting parameters is small. However, the variations with backazimuth and ray parameter of individual splitting intensity measurements at a given station for different models are often different, and rigorous analysis of details in the splitting patterns allows us to discriminate among different rheological models for flow in the mantle wedge. The splitting observed in southwestern Japan agrees well with the predictions of trench-perpendicular flow in the mantle wedge along with B-type olivine fabric dominating in a region from the wedge corner to about 125 km from the trench.     

基于贝叶斯理论的接收函数与环境噪声联合反演

基于Bayes反演理论(Tarantola,1987,2005),在接收函数非线性复谱比反演方法基础上(刘启元等,1996),本文讨论了接收函数与地震环境噪声Rayleigh波相速度频散的联合反演.本文采用修正后的快速广义反射/透射系数方法(Pei et al., 2008,2009) 计算Rayleigh波相速度频散, 并引入地壳泊松比的全局性搜索.数值检验表明:(1)接收函数与环境噪声的联合反演能够有效地解决反演结果对初始模型依赖的问题,即使对地壳速度结构仅有非常粗略的初始估计(例如,垂向均匀模型),本文方法仍能给出模型参数的可靠估计;(2)由于环境噪声与接收函数在频带上的适配性明显优于地震面波,接收函数与环境噪声的非线性联合反演能更好地约束台站下方近地表的速度结构;对于周期范围为2~40s的环境噪声相速度频散,利用本文方法能够可靠推测台站下方0~80 km深度范围的S波速度结构, 其浅表速度结构的分辨率可达到1 km; (3)本文方法能够可靠地估计地壳泊松比,泊松比的全局性搜索有助于合理解释接收函数和环境噪声的面波频散数据.利用本文方法对川西台阵KWC05台站观测的接收函数与环境噪声的联合反演表明,该台站下方地壳厚度为44 km,上地壳具有明显的高速结构,24~42 km范围的中下地壳具有低速结构.该台站下方地壳的平均泊松比为0.262,壳内低速带的泊松比为0.27.