Double-planed structure of the deep seismic zone in the northeastern Japan arc

A double-planed structure of deep seismic zone has been found over a wide area more then 300 km × 200 km in the Tohoku District, the northeastern part of Honshu, Japan. This prominent feature of the configuration of the deep seismic zone has been ascertained through a precise determination of the microearthquake hypocenters by using the data from the seismic network of Tohoku University. The two planes are nearly parallel to each other, the distance between the two planes being from 30 to 40 km.Composite focal mechanism solutions are derived from the superposition of the distribution of first motions of P waves, and the different fault types are obtained for the two groups of earthquakes; the earthquakes which occurred in the upper plane are characterized by reverse faulting, some of them by down-dip compressional stresses, and those in the lower plane by down-dip extensional stresses. The evidence obtained here provides valuable information for the definition of the type of mechanism producing the plate motion beneath the island arc.     

A detailed cross-section of the deep seismic zone beneath northeastern Honshu, Japan

A cross-section of earthquakes located in northeastern Japan is presented by using pPdepths reported by the International Seismological Centre. Travel-time corrections for the water layer were used to recompute pP-depths of earthquakes located below the sea regions. Seven new focal-mechanism solutions, based on teleseismic and Japanese data, were determined for this region. The reconstructed cross-section shows a double seismic zone at intermediate depths of 80–150 km. Earthquakes located within the upper seismic plane are characterized by down-dip compression while those in the lower plane, located about 35 km below the other seismic plane, are characterized by down-dip extension. These observations suggest that, at these depths, stresses attributable to a simple “unbending” of a plate may contribute to the generation of earthquakes in addition to stresses generated by the gravitational sinking of the lithosphere. A detailed cross-section of shallow earthquakes in the same area between the trench and eastern coast of northeastern Honshu is presented along with focal-mechanism solutions. This cross-section delineates more clearly the seismic zones characterized by normal and low-angle thrust faulting.     

Poisson's ratios of the upper and lower crust and the sub-Moho mantle beneath central Honshu, Japan

Poisson's ratios of the upper and lower crust and the sub-Moho mantle beneath central Honshu, Japan, are investigated using three independent methods that are based on S to P ratios of apparent velocities, the Wadati diagrams and an inversion of P and S arrivals. Shallow earthquakes at distances of 200—500 km from the Nagoya University Telemeter Network are used for the apparent velocity ratio method. Crustal and subcrustal earth-quakes under the network are used for the other two methods. The network consists of wide-band seismometers with three components which are particularly suitable for detecting S waves. The three different methods give a consistent result for Poisson's ratio σ, that is, (1) σ = 0.23 ± 0.01 in the upper crust, (2) σ = 0.26−0.28 in both the lower crust and in the sub-Moho mantle. The result indicates a sharp contrast in σ between the upper and the lower crust rather than at the Moho. The low σ in the upper crust can only be explained by the presence of a substantial amount of free quartz, indicating granitic rocks. A higher σ in the lower crust suggests that this portion is presumably less saturated in silica and may be even undersaturated, pointing to intermediate to mafic rocks. The sub-Moho σ is almost equal to the σ averaged over the entire upper mantle that has been estimated from the Wadati diagrams of deep shocks beneath Japan but is higher than those calculated from Pn and Sn velocities in oceanic and stable continental regions.     

On upper mantle seismic heterogeneities beneath Fennoscandia

Three-dimensional seismic mapping of the upper mantle beneath Fennoscandia (Baltic Shield) using an ACH-type of inversion technique in combination with P-wave travel-time residual observations from the local seismograph network gave the following results. The central parts of the Baltic Shield are characterized by relatively high seismic velocities down to approximately 300 km. Those parts of the shield most affected by the Caledonide orogeny exhibit relatively low velocities particularly in the uppermost 100 km depth interval. The lower part of the upper mantle (300–600 km) does not exhibit pronounced seismic velocity anomalies and in this respect is in contrast to results from similar studies in regions subjected to neotectonic processes like parts of central and southeastern Europe. The seismic anomaly pattern in the presumed thickened lithosphere is in quantitative agreement with similar ones derived from surface wave dispersion analysis and inversion of electrical measurements. The general orientation of these anomalies coincides with that of the glacial uplift.     

南海东北部及其邻近地区地壳上地幔P波速度结构

利用中国地震台网和ISC台站记录的P波到时数据,采用球坐标系有限差分地震层析成像方法反演了南海东北部及其邻近地区壳幔三维P波速度结构,并分析了不同地质单元的构造差异及其深部特征。结果表明:南海东北部表现出陆架地区的岩石层特性,属于华南大陆向海区的延伸,岩石层厚度较大,现今不存在大规模的地幔热流活动,推测大陆边缘张裂作用仅限于地壳内部而没有延伸进入上地幔,具有非火山型大陆边缘的深部特点。中央海盆附近上地幔P波速度明显降低,与海盆下方地幔热流活动密切相关。不同的速度异常特征表明:华南大陆暨台湾地区属于欧亚大陆的正常地壳或是与菲律宾海板块相互作用产生的增厚型地壳,冲绳海槽则是弧后扩张产生的减薄型地壳。滨海断裂带作为华南大陆高速异常和南海北部高速异常的分界,代表了一定地质时期华南地块和南海地块的拼合边界。断裂附近的上地幔低速异常揭示了闽粤沿海岩浆作用的深层动力机制。吕宋岛弧、马尼拉海沟、东吕宋海槽的速度异常与其所处的特殊构造位置有密切的关系,清晰地反映出岛弧俯冲带的地壳结构差异;台湾南部至吕宋岛弧的上地幔低速异常揭示了两个重要火山链的深部构造特征,北吕宋海脊下方100 km深度的条带状高速异常有可能代表了俯冲下沉的岩石层板片。     

华南壳幔结构与动力学的宽频地震观测研究

了解华南各岩石圈块体壳幔结构和各向异性方面的差异是揭示华南深部构造演化的基础。本文利用布设于华南的两条宽频地震测线观测数据,采用多种地震学方法对华南的地壳上地幔结构和各向异性进行了研究。接收函数结果表明,华南地区地壳厚度和岩石圈厚度都较薄,地壳厚度自东南沿海向西北内陆增厚,扬子克拉通的泊松比(波速比)低于华夏块体,表明扬子克拉通地壳较华夏块体更偏长英质。约北纬29°以北的扬子克拉通地幔转换带厚度明显增厚,可能是由地幔转换带底部停滞的冷的古太平洋板片或中生代克拉通碰撞残留造成的。层析成像结果显示华南上地幔具有很强的横向差异性,上地幔中的强烈低速异常体可能对应了晚中生代发生广泛岩浆作用时的岩浆房和岩浆通道。台湾下方的上地幔存在南北横向差异明显的高速异常,分别对应台湾南部向东俯冲的欧亚板块及台湾北部向北俯冲的菲律宾海板块。俯冲的欧亚板块在台湾南部是连续的,而在台湾中北部,由于与菲律宾海板块的相互作用,俯冲的欧亚板块被折断。剪切波分裂结果显示,以江绍断裂为界,华夏块体与扬子克拉通的岩石圈地幔各向异性存在明显的横向变化,表明两者的构造演化过程有显著差异。     

Anisotropic seismic properties of the upper mantle beneath the Torre Alfina area (Northern Apennines, Central Italy)

Central Italy is an active tectonic area that has been recently studied by several regional mantle, Pn and SKS, studies which revealed the presence of a strong regional anisotropy. In this paper, we present the first petrophysical results on the only mantle xenoliths from Central Italy, which place new constraints on the upper mantle structures of this region. The Torre Alfina mantle xenoliths are very small in size, from few millimetres to about 1.5 cm. They are mainly dunites and harzburgites, with subordinate lherzolites and wehrlites. Since olivine and spinel are always present, they should have crystallised in the spinel-bearing lherzolite field. Their mineralogical composition is ol+spl±opx±cpx. Both olivines and pyroxenes are present as porphyroclasts and as neoblasts. The xenoliths show different degrees of recrystallization. Geothermobarometry on these xenoliths give a temperature range of 1040±40 °C and a pressure estimate of about 1.5 GPa, corresponding to 50 to 60 km depth. Previous seismic studies have estimated the Moho to be at 20 to 25 km in this region, hence the xenoliths come from a hot mantle, probably asthenospheric, below a lithosphere of about 25 to 40 km in thickness below the Moho. We measure the crystallographic preferred orientation (CPO) of olivines and pyroxenes using a SEM and the Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique. The CPO shows all three axes of olivine are tightly clustered: [100] axis is typically more tightly clustered than [010] and [001] is the most widely distributed axis. The fabric strength expressed by the integral J index, varies from 4.5 to 25.9, and decreases with the degree of recrystallization. We use CPO data to calculate anisotropic seismic properties of the xenoliths. They are very homogenous and probably statistically representative of the mantle below the Torre Alfina area. Vp ranges from 8.4 to 9.1 km/s, Vs₁ from 4.8 to 5.0 km/s. The seismic anisotropy is more variable; AVp ranges from 9.8% to 19.3% and AVs from 7.3% to 13.4%. The majority of the xenoliths display an orthorhombic seismic symmetry, but xenoliths with a transverse isotropic behaviour have also been observed.

We consider four geodynamic models for the source region of the xenoliths (extension, shear, upwelling, slab tilted), defined by different orientations of the structural reference frame, and we calculated for each model the variation of the seismic properties with temperature, pressure and volume fraction of orthopyroxene. After comparing this variation of calculated seismic parameters with seismic observations from the region, we form the hypothesis that the xenoliths come from either an extensional tectonic zone (lineation X and foliation plane XY horizontal) or transcurrent shear zone (lineation X horizontal and foliation plane XY vertical) and that the mantle beneath Torre Alfina is composed by 70% olivine and 30% orthopyroxene forming an anisotropic layer of about 160 or 110 km in thickness, respectively.     

Laboratory measurement of P-wave velocity in crustal and upper mantle xenoliths from Ichino-megata, NE Japan: ultrabasic hydrous lower crust beneath the NE Honshu arc

Ultrasonic laboratory measurements of P-wave velocity (Vp) were carried out up to 1.0 GPa in a temperature range of 25–400 °C for crustal and mantle xenoliths of Ichino-megata, northeast Japan. The rocks used in the present study cover a nearly entire range of lithological variation of the Ichino-megata xenoliths and are considered as representative rock samples of the lower crust and upper mantle of the back arc side of the northeast (NE) Honshu arc. The Vp values measured at 25 °C and 1.0 GPa are 6.7–7.2 km/s for the hornblende gabbros (38.6–46.9 wt.% SiO₂), 7.2 km/s for the hornblende-pyroxene gabbro (43.8 wt.% SiO₂), 6.9–7.3 km/s for the amphibolites (36.1–44.3 wt.% SiO₂), 8.0–8.1 km/s for the spinel lherzolites (46.2–47.2 wt.% SiO₂) and 6.30 km/s for the biotite granite (72.1 wt.% SiO₂). Combining the present data with the Vp profile of the NE Honshu arc [Iwasaki, T., Kato, W., Moriya, T., Hasemi, A., Umino, N., Okada, T., Miyashita, K., Mizogami, T., Takeda, T., Sekine, S., Matsushima, T., Tashiro, K., Miyamachi, H. 2001. Extensional structure in northern Honshu Arc as inferred from seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profiling. Geophys. Res. Lett. 28 (12), 2329–2332], we infer that the 15 km thick lower crust of the NE Honshu arc is composed of amphibolite and/or hornblende (±pyroxene) gabbro with ultrabasic composition. The present study suggests that the Vp range of the lower crustal layer (6.6–7.0 km/s) in the NE Honshu arc, which is significantly lower than that obtained from various seismic measurements (e.g. the northern Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc: 7.1–7.3 km/s), is due to the thick hydrous lower crustal layer where hornblende, plagioclase and magnetite are dominant.     

Seismic inhomogeneities in the upper mantle beneath the Siberian craton (Meteorite profile)

The upper-mantle structure was studied from first-arrival data along the Meteorite profile, run using underground nuclear explosions. Unlike the layered, slightly inhomogeneous models in the previous works, emphasis was laid on lateral inhomogeneity at the minimum possible number of abrupt seismic boundaries. We used forward ray tracing of the traveltimes of refracted and overcritical reflected waves. The model obtained is characterized by considerable velocity variations, from 7.7 km/s in the Baikal Rift Zone to 8.0–8.45 km/s beneath the Tunguska syneclise. A layer of increased velocity (up to 8.5–8.6 km/s), 30–80 km thick, is distinguished at the base of seismic lithosphere. The depth of the layer top varies from 120 km in the northern Siberian craton to 210 km in its southeastern framing. It has been shown that, with crustal density anomalies excluded, the reduced gravity field is consistent with the upper-mantle velocity model.     

Crustal and upper mantle S-wave velocity structure beneath the Bransfield Strait (West Antarctica) from regional surface wave tomography

Regional surface wave tomography in the sub-Antarctic Scotia Sea is helpful in revealing the nature of the crust and the S-wave seismic velocity profile beneath the Bransfield Strait. The joint use of our regional network, global seismographic network stations and local temporary arrays provide better lateral resolution than that obtained in our previous studies concerning the Scotia Sea region.Tomographic analysis of data obtained using 10 broad band seismic stations and more than 300 regional events, shows that the Bransfield Basin is characterised by a strong group velocity reduction of 8% with respect to the surrounding areas, in the period range from 15 s to 50 s.The crustal and upper mantle models of the eastern, central and western Bransfield Basin are obtained by joint inversion of Rayleigh and Love local dispersion curves from 15 s to 50 s. In addition our data set is expanded to a broader period interval (1–80 s), in central Bransfield Strait in order to better constrain the upper mantle and shallow crust.The main results can be summarized as follows: (a) the crust thins distinctly from W toward E; the variation is consistent with the type of volcanism, earthquake distribution and bathymetric observations, (b) low upper mantle velocities (soft lid) extend down to depths exceeding 70 km as a consequence of elevated temperatures, (c) the crust beneath the central Bransfield Basin displays continental characteristics with a gradually increasing S-wave velocity distribution versus depth analogous to the East African Rift structure of Kenya, (d) negative velocity gradients are present in the lower crust beneath the eastern Bransfield Basin; these could be interpreted as magmatic bodies originating from decompression melting of the mantle.     

Velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle in the Baikal rift zone from the long-term observations of broad-band seismic stations

Using inversion of SV receiver functions, defined for various directions at each of the three broad-band stations located in the Baikal rift zone, detailed S velocity models of the crust and upper mantle down to 260 km have been obtained. These models reflect peculiarities of the velocity structure beneath Baikal depressions and mountains.     

Insight into the upper mantle beneath an active extensional zone: the spinel-peridotite xenoliths from San Quintin (Baja California,Mexico)

Many of the peridotite xenoliths included in the San Quintin (Baja California Norte, Mexico) quaternary alkali-basalts have undergone a very intense shear deformation (deviatoric stresses up to 0.1 GPa), hence a first-order classification into coarse-grained lherzolites and deformed peridotites (porphyroclastic and mosaic textures) has been applied. All of these rocks show a very limited compositional variability in the Mg/(Mg+Fe²⁺) ratios (olivine: 0.894–0.905±0.005; orthopyroxene: 0.899–0.9105±0.005), and the observed trends in the Cr/(Cr+Al) spinel ratios (from 0.1 to 0.6) can be interpreted as resulting from gradual partial melting followed by homogenization of the bulk phases. A later and less accentuated melting event is also evidenced by internal core-rim variations in the spinels from a few samples and ascribed to the thermal effect of the host lava.Simultaneous application of exchange geothermometers which give the latest equilibrium temperatures (i.e. at the time of eruption: Fe-Mg exchange between olivine and spinel) and of pyroxene transfer thermobarometers yields two distinct behaviours: the porphyroclastic and mosaic peridotites record an event of deformation and recrystallization and were equilibrated at 800°–950° C and P-1 GPa at the time of eruption, but have also retained evidence of higher temperatures (1000°–1050° C) and pressures; the coarsegrained lherzolites, which yield conditions of 1000°–1050° C and P<-2 GPa at the time of eruption, were originally equilibrated at higher temperature and pressure conditions and were subsequently re-equilibrated to 1000°–1050° C by solid-state bulk diffusion, without exsolution.Clinopyroxenite veins provide evidence of magma injection into the host-peridotite, before deformation but after the major melting event.To explain the simultaneous sampling of both groups of peridotites by the San Quintin alkali basalts, we suggest that the ascending magma reached the critical limit for hydraulic fracturing in the coarse-grained lherzolites. At shallower depth, the magma cross-cut an active shear zone, sampling prophyroclastic and mosaic samples of the strained peridotites.Our model is consistent with the regional tectonic context: upwelling of the mantle by isostatic re-equilibration after the end of the subduction processes and subsequent opening of the California Gulf. The only questionable parameter of the model remains the geometry of the shearzone, high or low angle orientation.     

青藏高原东部壳幔速度结构和地幔变形场的研究

在青藏高原东部地球动力学问题中,笔者在文中主要考虑与地壳上地幔速度结构和地幔变形场有关的问题,它涉及当前流行的下地壳流动模型和壳-幔的耦合-解耦模型。在2000年完成的穿过川西高原和四川盆地的深地震测深剖面,揭示了川西高原的地壳结构具有地壳增厚(主要是下地壳增厚)、地壳平均速度低等特点,显示地壳的缩短与增厚的碰撞变形特征。根据川西高原上设置各爆炸点的记录截面图共同呈现PmP(莫霍界面反射波)弱能量的特点,推断在川西高原的下地壳介质具有强衰减(Qp=100～300)的性质,支持存在下地壳流动的模型。青藏高原东部和川滇西部地区的上地幔各向异性(SKS波快波偏振方向和快慢波延迟时间)的初步结果表明,这两个地区的壳-幔变形特征是不同的,尽管它们在地理位置上属于同一个板块碰撞带。在青藏高原内部的壳幔变形属于垂直连贯变形,它以缩短为主,而高原外部的地壳(或岩石圈)则相对于其下方地幔运动。在高原内部和外部之间存在一个重要的地幔变形过渡带。然而,高原内部的垂直连贯变形与高原内部存在大范围下地壳流动的模型不一致。笔者在该地区开展了近两年的宽频带流动地震观测,试图从地震记录中确定过渡带的位置和探讨它的流变性质。文中扼要回顾已经取得的结果,并介绍正在进行的研究。     

Petrological constraints on seismic properties of the Slave upper mantle (Northern Canada)

Modes and compositions of minerals in Slave mantle xenoliths, together with their pressures and temperatures of equilibrium were used to derive model depth profiles of P- and S-wave velocities (Vp, Vs) for composites equivalent to peridotite, pyroxenite and eclogite. The rocks were modeled as isotropic aggregates with uniform distribution of crystal orientations, based on single-crystal elastic moduli and volume fractions of constituent minerals. Calculated seismic wave velocities are adjusted for in situ pressure and temperature conditions using (1) experimental P- and T- derivatives for bulk rocks' Vp and Vs, and (2) calculated P- and T- derivatives for bulk rocks' elastic moduli and densities. The peridotite seismic profiles match well with the globally averaged IASP91 model and with seismic tomography results for the Slave mantle. In peridotite, an observed increase of seismic wave velocities with depth is controlled by lower degrees of chemical depletion in the deeper upper mantle. In eclogite, seismic velocities increase more rapidly with depth than in peridotite. This follows from contrasting first-order pressure derivatives of bulk isotropic moduli for eclogite and peridotite, and from the lower compressibility of eclogite at high pressures. Our calculations suggest that depletion in cratonic mantle has a distinct seismic signature compared to non-cratonic mantle. Depleted mantle on cratons should have slower Vp, faster Vs and should show lower Poisson's ratios due to an orthopyroxene enrichment. For the modelled Slave craton xenoliths, the predicted effect on seismic wave velocities would be up to 0.05 km/s.     

Thermal and chemical heterogeneity of the upper mantle beneath the Baikal-Mongolia territory

Mineralogical, petrochemical, and geochemical characteristics and the crystallization conditions (T, P, and \(f_{O_2 } \)) of mantle xenoliths in alkaline basalts from the Baikal-Mongolia area indicated: (1) that the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle beneath southeastern and central parts of Mongolia, the Khamar-Daban, and Transbaikalia reflects variations in the degree of melting of the primitive mantle (10% and more for southeastern Mongolia, 0–15% for central Mongolia, and 0–10% for Transbaikalia and the Khamar-Daban) and, perhaps, also the compositional heterogeneity of the mantle source material; (2) the dependence of the concentrations of Y, Zr, Ti, Sc, and REE (from Nd to Lu) on the contents of major oxides (Al₂O₃ and MgO) and on their ratios (MgO/SiO₂ and Al₂O₃/MgO) in the xenoliths testifies that the distribution of trace elements and REE in the mantle was controlled by its partial melting; (3) the thermal state of the mantle varies beneath the Vitim area (geothermal gradient TG = 9.4 ± 0.3°C/km), central Mongolia (TG = 10.2 ± 0.2°C/km), and southeastern Mongolia (TG = 9.4 ± 0.3°C/km); (4) the Pb-Pb model age of the material represented by the primitive mantle xenoliths is 4457 ± 12 Ma and is consistent with the evaluated duration of the development of the core and its complementary primitive mantle calculated for the U-Th-Pb system (Galer and Golddstein, 1996).     

New data on seismic wave attenuation in the lithosphere and upper mantle of the northeastern flank of the Baikal rift system

The investigation data on seismic wave attenuation in the lithosphere and upper mantle of the northeastern flank of the Baikal rift system obtained with a seismic coda envelope and sliding window are considered. Eleven local districts were described by one-dimensional attenuation models characterized by alternation of high and low attenuation layers, which are consistent with the results obtained previously by Yu.F. Kopnichev for the southwestern flank of the Baikal rift system [9]. The subcrust of the lithosphere contains a thin layer with high attenuation of seismic waves likely related to higher heterogeneity (fragmentation) and occurrence of fluids. The lithosphere basement depth varies from 100–120 km in the west within the Baikal folded area to 120–140 km in the east within the Siberian Platform. It is concluded that there are two asthenosphere layers. Based on specific features of the lithosphere and upper mantle structure, it can be assumed that they were subject to gradual modification involving fluidization processes and partial melting in the Late Cenozoic extension under the influence of distant tectogenesis sources.     

华南东南部上地幔远震P波速度结构及意义

本研究利用114个固定台站记录的121个远震事件,以钦杭结合带为中心,采用天然地震层析成像构建了华南东南部上地幔P波速度结构模型。研究结果表明：（1）钦杭结合带、武夷成矿带以及南岭成矿带的深部结构存在着差异,说明3个成矿带经历了不同的构造演化过程;（2）江绍断裂的上地幔中存在着低速异常,推测该低速异常为从地幔过渡带或者下地幔上涌的热物质,与钦杭结合带和武夷成矿带的成矿作用有着密切的关系;（3）下扬子地区上地幔底部的高速异常可能为拆沉的岩石圈,而华夏板块上地幔顶部的高速异常则有待进一步研究。本研究的结果为认识华南东南部的深部结构提供了新的证据。