Station Anomalies of Teleseismic Traveltimes from Converted Waves

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—Two methods for estimating station anomalies in teleseismic P- and S-wave traveltimes are considered. Both methods employ traveltimes of the...     

沧州地区地壳上地幔的远震P波三维速度结构成像

利用架设在沧州地区的20台流动地震台站于2006年12月至2010年7月间记录的271个远震事件,读取的2308个P波到时数据,采用地震层析成像方法反演得到沧州及其邻区(38.0°N~39.0°N,116.5°E~117.5°E)的地壳上地幔P波三维速度结构。层析成像结果表明,沧东断裂两侧的地壳介质的速度分布表现出明显的横向差异,浅层速度分布同地表地质结构分布相一致。沧东断裂西北侧沧县隆起的地壳速度较高,表明其基底抬升;断裂带东南边的黄骅拗陷速度较低,说明基底埋藏较深。本文的远震层析成像研究结果和前人使用重力、电磁和人工地震的探测结果都表明,沧东断裂带两侧的地质构造和地球物理性质有明显的变化,这种构造差异在整个地壳中都有体现。     

The European Upper Mantle as Seen by Surface Waves

We derive a global, three-dimensional tomographic model of horizontally and vertically polarized shear velocities in the upper mantle. The model is based on a recently updated global database of Love- and Rayleigh-wave fundamental-mode phase-anomaly observations, with a good global coverage and a particularly dense coverage over Europe and the Mediterranean basin (broadband stations from the Swiss and German seismic networks). The model parameterization is accordingly finer within this region than over the rest of the globe. The large-scale, global structure of our model is very well correlated with that of earlier shear-velocity tomography models, based both on body- and surface-wave observations. At the regional scale, within the region of interest, correlation is complicated by the different resolution limits associated to different databases (surface waves, compressional waves, shear waves), and, accordingly, to different models; while a certain agreement appears to exist for what concerns the grand tectonic features in the area, heterogeneities of smaller scale are less robustly determined. Our new model is only one step towards the identification of a consensus model of European/Mediterranean upper-mantle structure: on the basis of the findings discussed here, we expect that important improvements will soon result from the combination, in new tomographic inversions, of fundamental-mode phase-anomaly data like ours with observations of surface-wave overtones, of body-wave travel times, of ambient “noise”, and by accounting for an a-priori model of crustal structure more highly resolved than the one employed here.     

Imaging Offsets in the Moho: Synthetic Tests using Gaussian Beams with Teleseismic Waves

We carry out a sequence of numerical tests to understand conditions under which rapid changes in crustal thickness can be reliably imaged by teleseismic body waves. Using the finite-difference method over a 2-D grid, we compute synthetic seismograms resulting from a planar P-wavefield incident below the grid. We then image the Moho using a migration scheme based on the Gaussian beam representation of the wavefield. The use of Gaussian beams for the downward propagation of the wavefield is particularly advantageous in certain geologically critical cases such as overthrusting of continental lithosphere, resulting in the juxtaposition of high-velocity mantle material over crustal rocks. In contrast to ray-based methods, Gaussian beam migration requires no special treatment to handle such heterogeneities. Our results suggest that with adequate station spacing and signal-to-noise ratios, offsets of the Moho, on the order of 10 km in height, can be reliably imaged beneath thickened crust at depths of about 50 km. Furthermore, even sharp corners and edges are faithfully imaged when precise values of seismic wave speeds are available. Our tests also demonstrate that flexibility in choices of different types of seismic phases is important, because any single phase has trade-offs in issues such as spatial resolution, array aperture, and amplitude of signals.     

利用远震接收函数的共转换点叠加方法研究华北克拉通上地幔过渡带结构

上地幔过渡带的结构形态对于研究上覆岩石圈的构造环境有十分重要的意义。本文通过对横跨华北克拉通中东部的一条北西向的测线L上分布的35个宽频带台站记录的远震数据进行接收函数的计算和共转换点叠加成像,得到了测线下方上地幔过渡带的结构。成像结果表明:华北克拉通的三个陆块处于不同的构造环境,西部陆块较为稳定,中部造山带位于地幔对流较强的构造环境内,而东部陆块由于受到太平洋俯冲板块的影响,所处环境温度较低,说明中部造山带内的裂陷盆地在形成过程中,受到地幔对流作用的影响较大,而东部陆块内的新生代裂陷盆地在形成过程中,可能主要是受到右旋拉张力的作用,两者的形成主要动力或有不同。     

应用远震有限频率层析成像反演中国东北地区上地幔P波三维速度结构

选取黑龙江、吉林、辽宁、内蒙古区域地震台网,以及NECESSArray流动台阵记录的223个远震事件的波形资料,采用多道互相关方法得到了22569个P波相对走时数据,并计算了相应的走时灵敏度核,应用有限频率层析成像反演得到中国东北地区上地幔600 km以上的P波三维速度结构模型,利用检测板评估了反演结果的分辨率。结果表明,松辽盆地下方80～200 km的深度上呈主体的低速异常,与这一地区上地幔浅部的高地温值和低密度的特征相互对应,可能暗示了部分熔融的地幔。南北重力梯度带两侧的速度结构明显不同,这一差异可以延伸到200 km以下,表明在中国东北地区南北重力梯度带有可能是一条上地幔内部结构的变化带,或是深部结构的分界线。长白山火山区下呈大范围的低速异常,并可从上地幔浅部延伸到地幔转换带中,推测此低速异常可能反映了地幔转换带内上涌的热物质,上涌的原因则主要是受到太平洋板块俯冲运动的作用。     

Mantle Attenuation Estimated from Regional and Teleseismic P-waves of Deep Earthquakes and Surface Explosions

We estimated the network-averaged mantle attenuation t*(total) of 0.5 s beneath the North Korea test site (NKTS) by use of P-wave spectra and normalized spectral stacks from the 25 May 2009 declared nuclear test (mb 4.5; IDC). This value was checked using P-waves from seven deep (580–600 km) earthquakes (4.8 < M _w < 5.5) in the Jilin-Heilongjiang, China region that borders with Russia and North Korea. These earthquakes are 200–300 km from the NKTS, within 200 km of the Global Seismic Network seismic station in Mudanjiang, China (MDJ) and the International Monitoring System primary arrays at Ussuriysk, Russia (USRK) and Wonju, Republic of Korea (KSRS). With the deep earthquakes, we split the t*(total) ray path into two segments: a t*(u), that represents the attenuation of the up-going ray from the deep hypocenters to the local-regional receivers, and t*(d), that represents the attenuation along the down-going ray to teleseismic receivers. The sum of t*(u) and t*(d) should be equal to t*(total), because they both share coincident ray paths. We estimated the upper-mantle attenuation t*(u) of 0.1 s at stations MDJ, USRK, and KSRS from individual and stacks of normalized P-wave spectra. We then estimated the average lower-mantle attenuation t*(d) of 0.4 s using stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra. We finally estimated a network average t*(total) of 0.5 s from the stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra from the 2009 nuclear test, which confirms the equality with the sum of t*(u) and t*(d). We included constraints on seismic moment, depth, and radiation pattern by using results from a moment tensor analysis and corner frequencies from modeling of P-wave spectra recorded at local distances. We also avoided finite-faulting effects by excluding earthquakes with complex source time functions. We assumed ω² source models for earthquakes and explosions. The mantle attenuation beneath the NKTS is clearly different when compared with the network-averaged t* of 0.75 s for the western US and is similar to values of approximately 0.5 s for the Semipalatinsk test site within the 0.5–2 Hz range.     

Discriminating Between Large Mine Collapses and Explosions Using Teleseismic P Waves

—?Some of the most suspicious seismic disturbances under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) are likely to be those associated with mining, as they are shallow, and at least some have an explosion-like m _b :M _s signature. Previous research highlighted the potential of broadband teleseismic P waves as a way of identifying large mine tremors. Broadband teleseismic P from two suspected large mine collapses, one in Germany (1302 UT, 13 March 1989, 5.4?m _b ) and another in Wyoming (1526 UT, 3 February 1995, 5.3?m _b ), show differences in character despite the similarity of the reported ground failure and mine types. We apply a full moment-tensor analysis to the teleseismic P waves and show that the data are inconsistent with either a shallow explosion or an earthquake (double-couple) at depth, but this method is unable to distinguish between a shallow dip-slip source and a closing-crack moment tensor. However, three-component surface-wave seismograms recorded at regional distances fit the shallow closing-crack model, but are inconsistent with a shallow earthquake source, because strong Love waves, expected from a double-couple source, are not observed at a number of stations well distributed in azimuth. Here, we restate the equivalence for shallow sources of the closing-crack model and a gravitational collapse model. We use the latter to model the broadband P waves from these mine tremors and show that, while non-unique, the differences in the observed broadband P waves from the two tremors can be attributed to the area, amount of collapse, depth, and rate of collapse. The collapse model predicts negative first-motion for all P waves in contrast to the positive polarity expected from explosions. Thus, the broadband teleseismic P waves have the potential to discriminate between large collapses and explosions.     

Nonlinear Three-dimensional Inversion of Low-frequency Scattered Elastic Waves

—We investigate a new nonlinear inversion method for low frequencies to determine the bulk and shear modulus as well as the material density and the location of subsurface inhomogeneities. The solution is a direct exact nonlinear inversion of single scattered waves containing near- and far-field terms for incident P and scattered P and S waves, allowing for inversion of parameters in the vicinity and at distance from the sources and receivers. Because the approach is based on single scattering theory, the range of application includes single strong scattering anomalies of various sizes like magma chambers, gas- or fluid-filled cavities, or buried near-surface obstacles. The replacement of the material properties by a new set of parameters, referred to as scattering factors, allows the inverse problem to be solved analytically. The nonlinear nature of the scattering problem is investigated and implications for the inversion process are discussed. The deviations in the elastic parameters as a function of the scattering factors show a strong asymmetry about zero, and therefore linearized approximations will perform differently, depending on the sign of the perturbation. Based on the low frequency (Rayleigh) approximation, we introduce and evaluate a pair of approximations (Mie) derived by numerical and analytical integration of the Rayleigh approximation. Both approximations are based on the underlying principle of subdividing the inhomogeneities into a number of small noninteracting parts and subsequent integration over the total volume, thus increasing the Rayleigh limit and producing better resolution of the parameter estimates during the inversion. The two Mie approximations, when evaluated as a function of scattering angle and distance, produce similar results in the mid- and far-field of the inhomogeneity and reveal better resolution than the Rayleigh approximation. For three anomalies of ± 50% in bulk modulus, shear modulus, and density, the relative error between the exact solution and the two Mie approximations remains below 10%, 20%, and 30%, respectively, for values of k _p R < 3.0, where R is the radius of the heterogeneity. However, smaller errors for individual cases are found for values up to k _p R≈ 4.5. The performance of the inversion based on the analytically and the numerically integrated Mie approximation is tested for single parameter perturbations, revealing reliable and stable inversion results for the bulk and the shear modulus, reasonable results for the density, and crosstalk between the shear modulus and the density. The results show well-defined locations of the anomalies and slight deviations in the estimates of their magnitudes, which can be explained by amplitude and phase deviations between the analytical solution used for forward modeling and the approximations used for the inversion. The analytical Mie approximation provides a fast means to estimate elastic parameters compared to the more time consuming numerically integrated approximation, while the latter can be applied to more arbitrarily shaped inhomogeneities.     

Inversion of Source Parameters for Moderate Earthquakes Using Short-Period Teleseismic P Waves

In this paper, we introduce a new method for estimating the source parameters of moderate earthquakes (M _w ~5.0) by modeling short-period teleseismic waveforms. This method uses a grid-search algorithm to minimize misfits between observed data and synthetic seismograms in depth, magnitude, and mechanism domain in a relative high-frequency range of 0.8–2.0 Hz, similar to the traditional cut-and-paste method used in regional modeling (Zhu and Helmberger, Bull Sesimol Soc Am 86:1634–1641, 1996). In this frequency range, a significant challenge is determining the initial P-wave polarity because of a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Therefore we first determine source properties for a master earthquake with a relative strong SNR. Both the travel time and amplitude corrections are developed relative to the reference 1D model along each path used in inverting the master event. We then applied these corrections to other earthquakes clustered in the same area to constrain the initial P polarities. Thus the focal mechanisms can be determined reasonably well. We inverted focal mechanisms for a small set of events beneath Qeshm Island in southern Iran and demonstrate the importance of radiation pattern at short periods.     

Differences in the Crustal and Uppermost Mantle Structure of the Bohemian Massif from Teleseismic Receiver Functions

A target of our study was the Bohemian Massif in Central Europe that was emplaced during the Variscan orogeny. We used teleseismic records from ten broadband stations lying within and around the massif. Different techniques of receiver function interpretation were applied, including 1-D inversion of R- and Q-components, forward modelling of V _s velocity, and simultaneous determination of Moho depth and Poissons ratio in the crust. These results provide new, independent information about the distribution of S wave velocity down to about 60 km depth. In the area of Bohemian Massif, the crustal thickness varies from 29 km in the NW to 40 km in the SE. A relatively simple velocity structure with gradually increasing velocities in the crust and uppermost mantle is observed in the eastern part of the Bohemian Massif. The western part of the massif is characterized by more complicated structure with low S wave velocities in the upper crust, as well as in the uppermost mantle. This could be related to tectono-magmatic activity in the Eger rift that started in the uppermost Cretaceous and was active in the West Bohemia-Vogland area till the late Cenozoic.     

中国东部上地幔各向异性研究

地震各向异性研究是了解地壳和上地幔变形的有效方法之一.这一研究不仅能了解板块内部的形变特征,而且能提供与板块构造运动有关的下覆岩石圈的地幔形变状况.中国东部地处欧亚板块与太平洋板块的接触带附近,紧邻西太平洋俯冲带.中国大陆受印度板块与欧亚板块强烈碰撞的影响,大陆西部地壳增厚并隆起,同时造成物质东向挤出.太平洋板块和菲律宾海板块向欧亚板块下的俯冲作用,强烈地影响着板块边缘及内部的构造运动.     

地震转换波测深中二次反射波震相的识别和利用

二次反射波震相的识别和利用对于进一步发展地震转换波测深法有重要意义。本文利用合成地震图方法,分析研究了短周期远震三分量初始30秒记录中主要震相的运动学和动力学特征。文中集中分析了PPP和PPS型二次波震相的振幅、波形和到时差等特征,及其与震中距、界面两侧波速差、界面结构和介质吸收等因素的关系。讨论了综合利用PS波和二次波震相的到时差资料测定介质速度参数的方法,并介绍了应用实例。     

Scales of Heterogeneities in the Continental Crust and Upper Mantle

—A seismological characterization of crust and upper mantle can refer to large-scale averages of seismic velocities or to fluctuations of elastic parameters. Large is understood here relative to the wavelength used to probe the earth.¶In this paper we try to characterize crust and upper mantle by the fluctuations in media properties rather than by their average velocities. As such it becomes evident that different scales of heterogeneities prevail in different layers of crust and mantle. Although we cannot provide final models and an explanation of why these different scales exist, we believe that scales of inhomogeneities carry significant information regarding the tectonic processes that have affected the lower crust, the lithospheric and the sublithospheric upper mantle.¶We focus on four different types of small-scale inhomogeneities (1) the characteristics of the lower crust, (2) velocity fluctuations in the uppermost mantle, (3) scattering in the lowermost lithosphere and on (4) heterogeneities in the mantle transition zone.     

Array Triplication Data Constraining Seismic Structure and Composition in the Mantle

Seismic data recorded in the upper mantle triplication distance range between 10° and 30° are generated by wave propagation through complex upper mantle structure. They can be used to place constraints on seismic velocity structures in the upper mantle, key seismic features near the major discontinuities, and anisotropic structure varying with depth. In this paper, we review wave propagation of the upper mantle triplicated phases, how different key seismic features can be studied using upper mantle triplicated data, and the importance of those seismic features to the understanding of mantle temperature and composition. We present two examples of using array triplicated phases to constrain upper mantle velocity structures and detailed features of a certain discontinuity, with one for a shallow event and the other for deep events. For the shallow event, we present examples of how the array triplication data can be used to constrain several key properties of the upper mantle: existence of a lithospheric lid, existence of a low velocity zone beneath the lithospheric lid, and P/S velocity ratio as a function of depth. For deep events, we show examples of how array triplication data can be used to constrain the detailed structures of a certain discontinuity: velocity gradients above and below the discontinuity, velocity jumps across the discontinuity and depth extents of different velocity gradients. We discuss challenges of the upper mantle triplication study, its connection to other approaches, and its potential for further studying some other important features of the mantle: the existence of double 660-km discontinuities, existence of low-velocity channels near major discontinuities and anisotropy varying with depth.     

Thermal Structure and Rheology of the Upper Mantle Derived from Mantle Xenoliths from Gansu Province, Western China

Mantle xenoliths brought up by Cenozoic volcanic rocks onto the earth‘s surface may provide direct information about the upper mantle beneath the volcanic region. This paper presents the study on mantle xenoliths collected from Haoti village, Dangchang County, Gansu Province, western China. The main purpose of the study is to gain an insight into the thermal structure and rbeology of the upper mantle beneath the region. The results show that the upper mantle of the region is composed mainly of spinel lherzolite at shallower depth (52-75km), and garnet iberzolite at greater depth (greater than 75km), instead of harzburgite and dunite as proposed by some previous studies. The upper mantle geotherm derived from the equilibrium temperatures and pressures of xenoliths from the region is lower than that of North China, and is somewhat closer to the Oceanic geotherm. The crust-mantle boundary is determined from the geotherm to be at about 52km, and the Moho seems to be the transition zone of lower crust material with spinel iberzolite. If we take 1280℃ as the temperature of the top of asthenosphere, then the fithospbere-asthenosphere boundary should be at about 120km depth. The differential stress of the upper mantle is determined by using recrystallized grain size piezometry, while the strain rate and equivalent viscosity are determined by using the high temperature flow law of peridotite. The differential stress, strain rate and viscosity profiles constructed on the basis of the obtained values indicate that asthenospberic diapir occurred in this region during the Cenozoic time, resulting in the corresponding thinning of the lithosphere. However, the scale and intensity of the diapir was significantly less than that occurring in the North China region. Moreover, numerous small-scale shear zones with localized deformation might occur in the iithospberic mantle, as evidenced by the extensive occurrence of xenoliths with tabular equigranular texture.     

Discussion of the Features of Synthetic Amplitude-Distance Curves of Teleseismic P Waves for Global Earth Models

The reason why the synthetic amplitude distance curves of P-waves for models IASP91 and PREM, observed for shallow sources up to epicentral distance of 28°, oscillate is illustrated by means of synthetic seismograms. Furthermore the position of the beginning of the diffraction of the P-wave at the CMB, depending on the prevailing signal period, is discussed in connection with the extension of Fresnel volumes.     

中国东部地壳与上地幔速度不均匀性和各向异性的初步研究(英文)

本文利用763式地震仪记录的地震瑞利面波资料,用双台法计算出瑞利面波的频散曲线,从而得到相速度.将我国东部地区(99.8°—123.8°E,20°—44°N)分成4°×4°大小的方格,利用代数重建法得出该地区上地幔与地壳的横向不均匀性.对同一地区再进行一次分块,块的大小为8°×8°,考虑到各向异性对面波相速度的影响,利用周期为60 s 的面波相速度资料,反演出我国东部的横向不均匀和各异向性的特征。