Geochemical constraints on the model of the composition and thermal conditions of the Moon according to seismic data

A new method of reconstruction of the temperature profile in the lunar mantle from the velocities of seismic P- and S-waves for different models of chemical composition is developed. The procedure of the solution of an inverse problem is realized with the help of the minimization of the Gibbs free energy and the equations of state of a mantle substance, taking into account phase transformations, anharmonicity, and the effects of inelasticity. The geophysical and geochemical constraints on composition and temperature distribution in Moon’s mantle are established. The upper mantle can be composed of olivine pyroxenite, depleted by low-volatile oxides (∼2 wt % of CaO and Al₂O₃). On the contrary, the lower mantle must be enriched by low-volatile oxides (∼4–6 wt % of CaO and Al₂O₃). Its composition can be represented by a mineral association of the olivine + clinopyroxene + garnet or olivine + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + garnet type, which is close in composition to pyrolite. The temperature distribution at depths 50–1000 km are approximated by the equation: T(°C) = 351 + 1718[1–exp (−0.00082H)]. The constraints inferred make it possible to conclude that the published values of the velocities of P- and S-waves for the lunar mantle, obtained by processing the data of seismic experiments of the Apollo lunar mission are inconsistent with each other at depths below 300 km. Otherwise, the variations in the velocities of P- and S-waves disturb the symmetry between the petrological model (composition), the temperature profile, and the seismic profile.     

Crust and uppermost mantle structure of the Ailaoshan-Red River fault from receiver function analysis

S-wave velocity structure beneath the Ailaoshan-Red River fault was obtained from receiver functions by using teleseismic body wave records of broadband digital seismic stations. The average crustal thickness, Vp/Vs ratio and Poisson’s ratio were also estimated. The results indicate that the interface of crust and mantle beneath the Ailaoshan-Red River fault is not a sharp velocity discontinuity but a characteristic transition zone. The velocity increases relatively fast at the depth of Moho and then increases slowly in the uppermost mantle. The average crustal thickness across the fault is 36―37 km on the southwest side and 40―42 km on the northeast side, indicating that the fault cuts the crust. The relatively high Poisson’s ratio (0.26―0.28) of the crust implies a high content of mafic materials in the lower crust. Moreover, the lower crust with low velocity could be an ideal position for decoupling between the crust and upper mantle.     

The preliminary interpretation of deep seismic sounding in western Yunnan

The preliminary interpretation of Project western Yunnan 86–87 is presented here. It shows that there obviously exists lateral velocity heterogeneity from south to north in western Yunnan. The depth of Moho increases from 38 km in the southern end of the profile to 58 km in its northern end. The mean crustal velocity is low in the south, and high in the north, about 6.17–6.45 km/s. The consolidated crust is a 3-layer structure respectively, the upper, middle and lower layer. P ₁ ⁰ is a weak interface the upper crust, P ₂ ⁰ and P ₃ ⁰ are the interfaces of middle-upper crust and middle-lower crust respectively. Another weak interface P ₃ ^0′ can be locally traced in the interior of the lower crust. Interface Pg is 0–6 km deep, interface P ₁ ⁰ 9.2–16.5 km deep, and interfaces P ₂ ⁰ and P ₃ ⁰ respectively 17.0–26.5 km, 25.0–38.0 km deep. The velocity of the upper crust gradually increases from the south to the north, and reaches its maxmium between Nangaozhai and Zhiti, where the velocity of basement plane reaches 6.25–6.35 km/s, then it becomes small northward. The velocity of the middle crust varies little, the middle crust is a low velocity layer with the velocity of 6.30 km/s from Jinhe-Erhai fault to the north. The lower crust is a strong gradient layer. There exists respectively a low velocity layer in the upper mantle between Jinggu and Jingyunqiao, and between Wuliangshan and Lancangjiang fault, the velocity of Pn is only 7.70–7.80 km/s, it is also low to the north of Honghe fault, about 7.80 km/s. Interface P_6/0 can be traced on the top of the upper mantle, its depth is 65 km in the southern end of the profile, and 85 km in the northern end. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,15, 427–440, 1993.     

Receiver function study in northern Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula

In this receiver function study, we investigate the structure of the crust beneath six seismic broadband stations close to the Sunda Arc formed by subduction of the Indo-Australian under the Sunda plate. We apply three different methods to analyse receiver functions at single stations. A recently developed algorithm determines absolute shear-wave velocities from observed frequency-dependent apparent incidence angles of P waves. Using waveform inversion of receiver functions and a modified Zhu and Kanamori algorithm, properties of discontinuities such as depth, velocity contrast, and sharpness are determined. The combination of the methods leads to robust results. The approach is validated by synthetic tests. Stations located on Malaysia show high-shear-wave velocities (V _S) near the surface in the range of 3.4–3.6 km s^− 1 attributed to crystalline rocks and 3.6–4.0 km s^− 1 in the lower crust. Upper and lower crust are clearly separated, the Moho is found at normal depths of 30–34 km where it forms a sharp discontinuity at station KUM or a gradient at stations IPM and KOM. For stations close to the subduction zone (BSI, GSI and PSI) complexity within the crust is high. Near the surface low V _S of 2.6–2.9 km s^− 1 indicate sediment layers. High V _S of 4.2 km s^− 1 are found at depth greater than 6 and 2 km at BSI and PSI, respectively. There, the Moho is located at 37 and 40 km depth. At station GSI, situated closest to the trench, the subducting slab is imaged as a north-east dipping structure separated from the sediment layer by a 10 km wide gradient in V _S between 10 and 20 km depth. Within the subducting slab V _S ≈ 4.7 km s^− 1. At station BSI, the subducting slab is found at depth between 90 and 110 km dipping 20° ± 8° in approximately N 60° E. A velocity increase in similar depth is indicated at station PSI, however no evidence for a dipping layer is found.     

The phase velocities of Rayleigh waves and the lateral variation of lithospheric structure in Tibetan Plateau

According to a Sino-U. S. joint project, eleven broadband digital PASSCAL seismometers had been deployed inside the Tibetan Plateau, of which 7 stations were on the profile from Lhasa to Golmud and other 4 stations situated at Maxin, Yushu, Xigatze and Linzhi. Dispersions and phase velocities of the Rayleigh surface waves (10s–120s) were obtained on five paths distributed in the different blocks of Tibetan Plateau. Inversions of the S-wave velocity structures in Songpan-Ganzi block, Qiang-Tang block, Lhasa block and the faulted rift zone were obtained from the dispersion data. The results show that significant lateral variation of the S-wave velocity structures among the different blocks exists. The path from Wenquan to Xigatze (abbreviated as Wndo-Xiga) passes through the rift-zone of Yadong-Anduo. The phase velocities of Rayleigh waves from 10s to 100s on this path are significantly higher than that on other paths. The calculated mean crustal velocity on this path is 3.8 km/s, much greater than that on other paths, where mean crustal velocities of 3.4–3.5 km/s are usually observed. Low velocity zones with different thicknesses and velocities are observed in the middle-lower crust for different paths. Songpan-Ganzi block, located in the northern part of Tibetan Plateau is characterized by a thinner crust of 65 km thick and a prominent low velocity zone in the upper mantle. The low velocity zone with a velocity of 4.2 km/s is located at a depth form 115 km to 175 km. While in other blocks, no low velocity zone in the upper mantle is observed. The value of Sn in Songpan-Ganzi is calculated to be 4.5 km/s, while those in Qiang-Tang and Lhasa blocks are about 4.6 km/s. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,14, Supp., 566–573, 1992.     

Judgement and interpretation of S-wave data on the Beijing-Fengzhen DSS profile

ＪｕｄｇｅｍｅｎｔａｎｄｉｎｔｅｒｐｒｅｔａｔｉｏｎｏｆＳｗａｖｅｄａｔａｏｎｔｈｅＢｅｉｊｉｎｇＦｅｎｇｚｈｅｎＤＳＳｐｒｏｆｉｌｅＳＯＮＧＹＡＮＳＯＮＧ（宋松岩）ＸＵＥＳＯＮＧＺＨＯＵ（周雪松）ＸＩＡＮＫＡＮＧＺＨＡＮＧ（张先康）ＳＨ...     

The P and S wave velocity structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath Tibetan Plateau

Using the P-and S-wave arrivals from the 150 earthquakes distributed in Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring areas, recorded by Tibetan seismic network, Sichuan seismic network, WWSSN and the mobile network situated in Tibetan Plateau, we have obtained the average P-and S-wave velocity models of the crust and upper mantle for this region:

Testing the reference Moon model in respect of the thermal regime and chemical composition of the mantle: Thermodynamics versus seismology

The VPREMOON seismic reference Moon model (Garcia et al., 2011) has been tested with respect to the thermal regime and chemical composition of the mantle. Based on a self-consistent thermodynamic approach and petrological models of the lunar mantle covering a wide range of concentrations of CaO, Al₂O₃, and FeO, we convert the P- and S-wave velocity profiles to the temperature–depth profiles. The solution procedure relies on the method of the Gibbs free energy minimization and the equations of state for the mantle material which take into account the effects of phase transformations, anharmonicity, and anelasticity. We find that regardless of the chemical composition, the positive P- and S-wave velocity gradient in the lunar mantle leads to a negative temperature gradient, which has no physical basis. For adequate mantle temperatures, the P- and S-wave velocities should remain almost constant or slightly decrease with depth (especially V_S) as a result of the effects of the temperature, which grows faster than pressure. These findings underscore the importance of the relationship of the thermodynamics and physics of minerals with seismology.     

Elastic properties of anorthite and the nature of the lunar crust

A polycrystalline specimen of anorthite has been hot-pressed atP = 15kbar andT = 1000°C in a piston-cylinder apparatus. Compressional(ν_p)and shear(ν_s) velocities are determined as a function of pressure to 7.5 kbar at room temperature by an ultrasonic pulse transmission technique. The specimen is less than 0.5% porous and is elastically isotropic within 1%. The velocities at 7.5 kbar areν_p = 7.29km/secandν_s = 3.85km/sec. These data are consistent with those for most terrestrial and lunar plagioclase rocks but not for certain anisotropic rocks and single crystals. The measured velocities demonstrate, moreover, that it is impossible to distinguish between rocks of gabbro, anorthositic gabbro, or anorthosite compositions for the 20–55 km layer of the lunar crust on the basis of seismic data alone. The mean composition of the crust could well be that of a gabbro (17% Al₂O₃) rather than of an anorthositic gabbro(～25%Al₂O₃) as assumed in some current models.     

Upper lithospheric structure in the central Fennoscandian shield: Constraints from P- and S-wave velocity models and V<Subscript>P</Subscript>/V<Subscript>S</Subscript> ratio distribution of the BALTIC wide-angle seismic profile

The paper presents an analysis of the crust and upper mantle structure in the central Fennoscandian shield based on new P- and S-wave 2D velocity models of the BALTIC wide-angle reflection and refraction profiles. Using reprocessing of the old data, new P- and S-wave velocity models and V _P /V _S ratio distribution were developed. Moving from SW to NE, the thickness of the crust varies strongly, from ∼36 km to extremely thick, 58–64 km, crossing Wiborg rapakivi massif, Saimaa and Outokumpu areas, and Eastern Finland complex. Based on the lateral variations of V _P , V _P /V _S and thickness of the crust, three main blocks of the crust and upper mantle were distinguished from SW to NE: southwestern, associated with Wiborg rapakivi massif; the central, having the highest thickness of the crust; and the northeastern, not well documented, with Archaean basement.     

A study of crust and upper mantle structure in Northeastern region of China by means of synthetic seismograms

In this paper, structure models of the crust and upper mantle beneath each station have been obtained by way of fitting synthetic seismograms with P waveforms of deep focus teleseismic records from the 11 stations in the Northeastern Region of China. We have studied the structure in the region based on those models. Our results show that the medium of the crust and upper mantle is a layered structure with alternate high and low velocity layers within about 100 km under the region. The crustal thickness is about 31.8–35.8 km. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,13, 471–479, 1991. This work is one part of the project funded by the State Seismological Bureau of China.     

A komatiite component in Apollo 16 highland breccias: implications for the nickel-cobalt systematics and bulk composition of the moon

The lunar crust at the Apollo 16 landing site contains substantial amounts of a “primitive component” in which the ferromagnesian group of elements is concentrated. The composition of this component can be retrieved via an analysis of mixing relationships displayed by lunar breccias. It is found to be a komatiite which is compositionally similar to terrestrial komatiites both in major and minor elements. The komatiite component of the lunar crust is believed to have formed by extensive degrees of melting of the lunar interior at depths greater than were involved in the formation of the lunar magma ocean which was parental to the crust. After formation of the anorthositic crust, it was invaded by extensive flows and intrusions of komatiite magma from these deeper source regions. The komatiites became intimately mixed with the anorthosite by intensive meteoroid impacts about 4.5 b.y. ago, thereby accounting for the observed mixing relationships displayed by the crust. The compositional similarity between lunar and terrestrial komatiites strongly implies a corresponding similarity between the compositions of their source regions in the lunar interior and the Earth's upper mantle. The composition of the lunar interior can be modelled more specifically by combining the komatiite composition with its liquidus olivine composition (as determined experimentally) in proportions chosen so as to produce a cosmochemically acceptable range of Mg/Si ratios for the bulk Moon. Except for higher FeO and lower Na₂O, the range of compositions thereby obtained for the bulk moon is very similar to the composition of the Earth's upper mantle.The effects of meteoritic contamination on the abundances of cobalt and nickel in lunar highland breccias were subtracted on the assumption that the contaminating projectiles were chondritic. The cobalt and nickel residuals thereby obtained were found to correlate strongly with the (Mg + Fe) content of the breccias, demonstrating that the Co and Ni are associated with the ferromagnesian component of the breccias and are genuinely indigenous to the Moon. The lunar highland Co and Ni residuals also display striking Ni/Co versus Ni correlations which follow a similar trend to those displayed by terrestrial basalts, picrites and komatiites. The lunar trends provide further decisive evidence of the indigenous nature of the Co and Ni residuals and suggest the operation of extensive fractionation controlled by olivine-liquid equilibria in producing the primitive component of the lunar breccias. Indigenous nickel abundances at the Apollo 14, 15 and 17 sites are much lower than at the Apollo 16 site, although rocks from all sites follow the same Ni/Co versus Ni trends. It is suggested that the primitive component at the Apollo 14, 15 and 17 sites was generally of basaltic composition, in contrast to the komatiitic nature of the Apollo 16 primitive component.     

Source Parameters of the Deadly M<Subscript>w</Subscript> 7.6 Kashmir Earthquake of 8 October, 2005

During the last six years, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad has established a semi-permanent seismological network of 5–8 broadband seismographs and 10–20 accelerographs in the Kachchh seismic zone, Gujarat with a prime objective to monitor the continued aftershock activity of the 2001 M_w 7.7 Bhuj mainshock. The reliable and accurate broadband data for the 8 October M_w 7.6 2005 Kashmir earthquake and its aftershocks from this network as well as Hyderabad Geoscope station enabled us to estimate the group velocity dispersion characteristics and one-dimensional regional shear velocity structure of the Peninsular India. Firstly, we measure Rayleigh-and Love-wave group velocity dispersion curves in the period range of 8 to 35 sec and invert these curves to estimate the crustal and upper mantle structure below the western part of Peninsular India. Our best model suggests a two-layered crust: The upper crust is 13.8 km thick with a shear velocity (Vs) of 3.2 km/s; the corresponding values for the lower crust are 24.9 km and 3.7 km/sec. The shear velocity for the upper mantle is found to be 4.65 km/sec. Based on this structure, we perform a moment tensor (MT) inversion of the bandpass (0.05–0.02 Hz) filtered seismograms of the Kashmir earthquake. The best fit is obtained for a source located at a depth of 30 km, with a seismic moment, Mo, of 1.6 × 10²⁷ dyne-cm, and a focal mechanism with strike 19.5°, dip 42°, and rake 167°. The long-period magnitude (M_A ~ M_w) of this earthquake is estimated to be 7.31. An analysis of well-developed sPn and sSn regional crustal phases from the bandpassed (0.02–0.25 Hz) seismograms of this earthquake at four stations in Kachchh suggests a focal depth of 30.8 km.     

Ray parameters of diffracted long period P and S waves and the velocities at the base of the mantle

The derivation of P and S velocities at the core-mantle boundary (CMB) from long-period diffracted waves by the use of the simple ray-theoretical formulav _CMB=r _c /p (v _CMB=velocity at the CMB;r _c =core radius;p=ray parameter) yields apparent velocity values which differ from the true velocities. Using a dominant period of about 20 sec for calculating theoretical seismograms, we found a linear relation between the apparent velocity and the average velocity in a transition zone at the base of the mantle with fixed velocity on top.The ray parameters determined from long-period earthquake data are found to be 4.540±0.035 and 8.427±0.072 sec/deg for P_diff and S_diff, respectively. These values yield apparent velocities of 13.378±0.103 for P and 7.207±0.062 km/sec for S waves. By means of the theoretical relation between apparent and average velocity and under the assumption of linear variation of velocity with depth, one can invert the apparent velocities into true CMB velocities of 13.736±0.170 and 7.320±0.124 km/sec. These results imply positive velocity gradients at the base of the mantle and hence no significant departures from adiabaticity and homogeneity.Contribution No. 211 of the Geophysical Institute, University of Karlsruhe.     

Building and Testing an <Emphasis Type="Italic">a priori</Emphasis> Geophysical Model for Western Eurasia and North Africa

We construct and evaluate a new three-dimensional model of crust and upper mantle structure in Western Eurasia and North Africa (WENA) extending to 700 km depth and having 1° parameterization. The model is compiled in an a priori fashion entirely from existing geophysical literature, specifically, combining two regionalized crustal models with a high-resolution global sediment model and a global upper mantle model. The resulting WENA1.0 model consists of 24 layers: water, three sediment layers, upper, middle, and lower crust, uppermost mantle, and 16 additional upper mantle layers. Each of the layers is specified by its depth, compressional and shear velocity, density, and attenuation (quality factors, Q _P and Q _S ). The model is tested by comparing the model predictions with geophysical observations including: crustal thickness, surface wave group and phase velocities, upper mantle _n velocities, receiver functions, P-wave travel times, waveform characteristics, regional 1-D velocities, and Bouguer gravity. We find generally good agreement between WENA1.0 model predictions and empirical observations for a wide variety of independent data sets. We believe this model is representative of our current knowledge of crust and upper mantle structure in the WENA region and can successfully be used to model the propagation characteristics of regional seismic waveform data. The WENA1.0 model will continue to evolve as new data are incorporated into future validations and any new deficiencies in the model are identified. Eventually this a priori model will serve as the initial starting model for a multiple data set tomographic inversion for structure of the Eurasian continent.     

Elastic-anisotropic properties of garnet granulites from the lower crust of the belomorian mobile belt: Results of experimental study

The elastic-anisotropic properties of fifteen samples of garnet granulites from xenoliths in the diatreme on Elovyi Island, in Kandalaksha Bay in the White Sea are investigated. The PT-conditions of the formation of these rocks correspond to a depth of 25–40 km, which is the current depth of the lower crust in the region. According to acoustopolariscopy, the elastic anisotropy of these deep rocks is relatively low. The average seismic P and S velocities corresponding to the in-situ PT-conditions are 6.5–6.7 km/s and 3.7–3.8 km/s, respectively. It is shown that the garnet content in the deep-seated rocks can be estimated from the seismic data. According to the obtained results, the formation of the structural and textural pattern of the lower crustal rocks in the region was poorly affected by the paleotectonic factors.     

Structure and composition of the continental crust in East China

Crustal structures of nine broad tectonic units in China, except the Tarim craton, are derived from 18 seismic refraction profiles including 12 geoscience transects. Abundances of 63 major, trace and rare earth elements in the upper crust in East China are estimated. The estimates are based on sampling of 11 451 individual rock samples over an area of 950 000 km², from which 905 large composite samples are prepared and analyzed by 13 methods. The middle, lower and total crust compositions of East China are also estimated from studies of exposed crustal cross sections and granulite xenoliths and by correlation of seismic data with lithologies. All the tectonic units except the Tarim craton and the Qinling orogen show a four-layered crustal structure, consisting of the upper, middle, upper lower, and lowermost crusts. P-wave velocities of the bulk lower crust and total crust are 6.8–7.0 and 6_:4–6.5 km/s, respectively. They are slower by 0.2–0.4 km/s than the global averages. The bulk lower crust is suggested to be intermediate with 58% SiO₂ in East China. The results contrast with generally accepted global models of mafic lower crusi. The proposed total crust composition in East China is also more evolved than previous estimates and characterized by SiO₂=64%, a significant negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.80), deficits in Sr and transition metals, a near-arc magma La/Nd ratio (3.0), and a calculatedμ(²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) value of 5. In addition, it has the following ratios of element pairs exhibiting similar compatibility, which are identical or close to the primitive mantle values: Zr/Hf=37, Nb/Ta=17.5, Ba/Th=87, K/Pb=0.12x10⁴, Rb/Cs=25, Ba/Rb=8.94, Sn/Sm=0.31, Se/Cd=1.64, La/ As=10.3, Ce/Sb=271, Pb/Bi=57, Rb/TI=177, Er/Ag=52, Cu/Au=3.2×10⁴, Sm/Mo=7.5, Nd/W=40, CI/Li=10.8, F/Nd=21.9, and La/B=1.8. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 49625305, 49573183, 49673184, 49794043), the State Comission of Education, the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources of China (Grant No. 850514), the Open Laboratory of Constitution, Interaction and Dynamics of the Crust-Mantle System, and the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation of Germany.     

Body-wave Attenuation in the Region of Garda, Italy

We analyzed the spectral amplitude decay with hypocentral distance of P and S waves generated by 76 small magnitude earthquakes (M_L 0.9–3.8) located in the Garda region, Central-Eastern Alps, Italy. These events were recorded by 18 stations with velocity sensors, in a distance range between 8 and 120 km. We calculated nonparametric attenuation functions (NAF) and estimated the quality factor Q of both body waves at 17 different frequencies between 2 and 25 Hz. Assuming a homogeneous model we found that the Q frequency dependence of P and S can be approximated with the functions Q _P = 65 f ^0.9 and Q _S = 160 f ^0.6 , respectively. At 2 Hz the Q _S /Q _P ratio reaches the highest value of 2.8. At higher frequencies Q _S /Q _P varies between 0.7 and 1.7, suggesting that for this frequency band scattering may be an important attenuation mechanism in the region of Garda. To explore the variation of Q in depth, we estimated Q at short (r ≤ 30 km) and intermediate (35–90 km) distance paths. We found that in the shallow crust P waves attenuate more than S (1.3 < Q _S /Q _P < 2.5). Moreover, P waves traveling along paths in the lower crust (depths approximately greater than 30 km) attenuate more than S waves. To quantify the observed variability of Q in depth we considered a three-layer model and inverted the NAF to estimate Q in each layer. We found that in the crust Q increases with depth. However, in the upper mantle (~40–50 km depth) Q decreases and in particular the high frequency Q _S (f > 9 Hz) has values similar to those estimated for the shallow layer of the crust.     

Crustal Structure Along the Lawrencepur-Astor Profile in the Northwest Himalayas

During the Pamir Himalayan project in the year 1975 seismic refraction and wide-angle reflection data were recorded along a 270 km long Lawrencepur-Astor (Sango Sar) profile in the northwest Himalayas. The profile starts in the Indus plains and crosses the Main Central Thrust (MCT), the Hazara Syntaxis, the Main Mantle Thrust (MMT) and ends to the east of Nanga Parbat. The seismic data, as published by Guerra et al. (1983), are reinterpreted using the travel-time ray inversion method of Zelt and Smith (1992) and the results of inversion are constrained in terms of parameter resolution and uncertainty estimation. The present model shows that the High Himalayan Crystallines (HHC, velocity 5.4 km s⁻¹) overlie the Indian basement (velocity 5.8–6.0 km s⁻¹). The crust consists of four layers of velocity 5.8–6.0, 6.2, 6.4 and 6.8 km s⁻¹ followed by the upper mantle velocity of 8.2 km s⁻¹ at a depth of about 60 km.