俯冲带地震动特征及其衰减规律探讨

随着我国南海不断开发建设,海洋工程的抗震问题日益受到重视.我国南海东部区域位于大陆板块与海洋板块共同作用的俯冲带地区,地震活动频繁,震级较大,潜在地震对南海开发建设有重要影响.为了研究俯冲带地震的地震动特征及其衰减规律,本文基于实际俯冲带地震数据,并结合数值模拟方法,分析和探讨了俯冲带板内、板缘地震与浅地壳地震的地震动特征和衰减规律的差异.研究结果表明:俯冲带地震动存在区域性差异,在地震动衰减特征方面,同一区域的俯冲带板缘地震要比浅地壳地震衰减慢,俯冲带板内地震要比浅地壳地震衰减得快;数值模拟分析不同深度海水对海底地震动的影响表明,海底地震动水平分量几乎不受海水介质的影响,但是竖向分量随海水深度的增加有减小的趋势.最终,基于数值模拟和经验关系的混合方法建立了南海俯冲带地震动衰减关系模型,其结果可为海域区划等相关研究和海域工程建设提供参考.     

南海东北部及其邻近地区的Pn波速度结构与各向异性

利用中国地震台网和ISC台站1980～2004年的地震数据,反演了南海东北部及其邻近地区的Pn波速度结构和各向异性.上地幔顶部的速度变化揭示出区域地质构造的深部特征：华南地区速度较高并且变化平缓,具有构造稳定地区的岩石层地幔特征;华南沿海尤其是滨海断裂带附近出现低速异常,表明该断裂可能穿过壳幔边界深达上地幔顶部.南海北部至台湾海峡较高的速度与华南地区类似,反映出大陆边缘和陆架地区的岩石层地幔性质;西沙海槽附近较高的速度不仅反映了华南大陆向南的延伸,而且与海槽裂谷拉张引起的地幔上拱有关,整个南海北部没有发现大规模地幔热流的活动痕迹.相比之下,南海东部次海盆的上地幔顶部存在明显的低速异常,对应于海底扩张中心的地幔上涌区,表明岩石层地幔强烈减薄甚至缺失;台湾东部－吕宋－菲律宾北部的低速异常与地震、火山活动以及岩浆作用紧密相关,揭示了西太平洋岛弧俯冲带的活动特征;南海东北部的洋－陆边界清晰,南海东部和菲律宾海西部较高的速度代表了海洋岩石层地幔的性质.Pn波各向异性反映出区域性构造应力状态及岩石层地幔的变形痕迹：华南地区的各向异性较小,说明这一构造稳定地区的岩石层地幔变形程度较弱;南海北部的快波方向与地壳浅表层构造的伸展方向一致,主要反映了中、新生代以来的大陆边缘张裂和剪切作用对岩石层地幔结构的影响;琉球－台湾－吕宋岛弧两侧各向异性十分强烈,平行于海沟的快波方向表明菲律宾海板块和欧亚大陆的相互作用导致俯冲板块前缘的岩石层地幔强烈变形;台湾东南海域快波方向的变化可能与欧亚大陆和菲律宾海板块俯冲机制的转换以及岩石层被撕裂有关.     

青藏高原东北缘上地幔地震各向异性:来自SKS、PKS和SKKS震相分裂的证据

基于青藏高原东北缘甘肃区域台网41个宽频带地震台站的远震记录资料,通过PKS、SKS和SKKS震相的剪切波分裂分析,获取了台站下方介质的各向异性分裂参数,得到该地区上地幔各向异性分布图像,并结合GPS速度场和地壳剪切波各向异性分析青藏高原东北缘各向异性形成机制及壳幔各向异性特征.分析结果认为,在阿尔金断裂带西侧,各向异性快波偏振呈NWW-SEE方向,与断裂带走向有一定夹角,与塔里木盆地向柴达木盆地俯冲方向一致,说明该地区上地幔物质变形主要受古构造运动的影响,属于"化石"各向异性.在祁连山-河西走廊构造区,XKS快波偏振呈NW-SE方向,一致性较好,与区域断层走向方向相同;由区域小震的地壳剪切波分裂分析得到的地壳剪切波快波偏振在该区域呈NE-SW方向,与相对于稳定欧亚大陆GPS运动速率一致,地壳和地幔快波偏振方向的差异表明壳幔变形可能有不同的形变机制.在陇中盆地及其周缘,由于处于活跃青藏地块与稳定鄂尔多斯地块之间的过渡带,相对于其他区域具有更加复杂的构造背景,地壳快波偏振和地幔快波偏振总体上呈NWW-SEE方向,说明壳幔变形机制可能相同;但不同台站结果之间存在一定离散性,推测是由于受局部构造特征差异性造成.     

俯冲带主要含水矿物弹性波性质研究现状及展望

俯冲带中的含水矿物对物质循环和水迁移等有着极其重要的作用,同时也是俯冲带中的地震波速异常的主要原因．本文总结了近20年来,国内外对俯冲带三种主要含水硅酸盐矿物（蛇纹石、绿泥石和角闪石）弹性波速研究取得的重要成果：含水矿物普遍具有低波速、高各向异性的特点;压力增加波速增加,但波速各向异性降低．富含水矿物的岩石,波速各向异性随着含水矿物含量的增加而增大,同时受到含水矿物晶格择优取向（LPO）类型以及岩体中裂隙的影响．含水矿物LPO引起的地震波速各向异性特征与俯冲的角度有关,在低角度的俯冲带中会引起垂直于海沟方向的快速传播,而在高角度的俯冲带中引起平行于海沟方向的快速传播．文章最后针对目前俯冲带中含水矿物弹性波速研究中存在的问题,提出了未来需要在三个方面加强研究．     

青藏高原东北缘甘东南地区地壳各向异性特征及构造意义

本文利用径向和切向接收函数确定地壳各向异性的方法,处理了布设在青藏高原东北缘甘东南地区、横跨西秦岭北缘等断裂的24个密集宽频带流动台站远震资料,得到了研究区地壳各向异性特征.结果显示,平均快波方向呈现NW-SE、NWW-SEE及NNW-SSE,平均分裂时间0.56 s.甘东南中部及北部地区快波方向与GPS速度方向、前人利用XKS波分裂获取的快波方向及该地区断层展布方向基本一致,说明该地区壳幔运动可能是耦合的.同时研究区南部少数台站快波方向呈现NNW-SSE,与断裂方向及GPS速度方向有一定夹角,表明台站下方壳幔运动可能是解耦的.全区快波方向自北向南由近E-W逐渐转变为NW-SE,最后变为NNW-SSE.据此推测地壳在该区的变形挤压有顺时针方向旋转的趋势,这与该区块体挤压应力方向一致.     

喜马拉雅东构造结及周边地区地壳各向异性特征

利用喜马拉雅东构造结及周边地区的48个宽频带地震台站记录的远震波形数据,通过Pms波分裂测量得到了 295对地壳各向异性横波分裂参数,获得了研究区的地壳各向异性图像.喜马拉雅东构造结的快波偏振方向主要为NE-SW方向,周边地区的快波偏振方向呈现出绕东构造结顺时针旋转的趋势.Pms波分裂的慢波延迟时间范围为0.11～0.30 s,平均值为0.24 s.对比分析研究区内Pms波分裂、近震直达S波分裂和远震SKS波分裂的结果发现,上地壳各向异性对Pms波分裂影响有限,地壳各向异性主要来自于中下地壳矿物和熔体的定向排列;地壳各向异性对SKS波分裂影响较小,SKS波分裂主要反映了上地幔的各向异性特征;Pms波分裂的快波偏振方向与近震直达S波分裂和远震SKS波分裂的快波偏振方向表现出较好的一致性,并且与地表构造和变形特征具有较好的相关性,反映了喜马拉雅东构造结及周边地区的岩石圈变形可能为垂直连贯变形模式.     

华南块体中部上地壳剪切波分裂特征

本文采用剪切波分裂分析方法,使用华南流动地震台阵(HN Array)和国家地震台网记录的近场波形资料,分析华南块体上地壳介质的地震各向异性特征.结果显示,华南块体快剪切波优势偏振方向整体表现为近东西向,与区域最大主压应力方向基本一致.结合华北块体地震各向异性特征,推测太平洋板块西向俯冲和菲律宾板块北西向俯冲作用,是中国大陆东部中上地壳各向异性的重要构造背景,导致中国大陆东部表现出近东西向的构造应力特征.苏鲁—大别造山和江南造山带的快剪切波偏振方向发生明显区域性变化,揭示了块体之间相互作用产生局部复杂构造特征和应力分布特点.研究显示,各向异性观测结果会因地壳结构的多样性变得复杂,通过江汉盆地的地震各向异性特征揭示出盆地内存在不同尺度的应力场.研究认为,岩石组分对中上地壳地震各向异性有重要贡献,华夏块体东部广泛存在的变质岩导致东西华夏块体各向异性偏振方向存在明显差异.     

中国大陆及邻区SKS波分裂研究

SKS波分裂测量是研究大陆地幔的形变特征、探索大陆动力学和演化过程的重要工具. 本文对中国大陆及邻区地震台站的SKS波分裂现象进行了研究. 选用中国数字化宽频带地震台网(CB台网)和美国IRIS数据中心提供的三分量宽频带数字化地震资料，使用SC(Silver and Chan,1991)方法，得到了中国大陆及周边地区80多个台站下方上地幔各向异性参数，即快波偏振方向φ和快慢波到时差δt. 快波偏振方位在相同地块有一定的优势排列方向，大多数台站快波偏振方向都能与过去或现今大规模的构造运动得到很好的符合. 整个研究区域所得到的分裂延迟时间在0.4～2.4s之间，平均为1.2s. 根据SKS波测量得到的分裂参数，分析了该研究区域各向异性介质的特性，从而探索与岩石弹性各向异性相关的地球内部动力学过程.     

中国大陆上地幔各向异性和壳幔变形模式

近10年来,中国布设的宽频带地震台站大幅度增加.宽频带地震记录中含有大量的剪切波分裂信息,它在揭示中国大陆上地幔的各向异性特征起重要作用.本文对这些台站的远震SKS和(或)SKKS记录,采用最小切向能量的分析方法,确定各台站剪切波分裂的快波偏振方向和延迟时间.此外,还收集了前人在中国大陆及其周边地区的剪切波分裂研究的部分结果,形成拥有1020个剪切波分裂参数对的数据集.这些分裂参数展示了复杂的上地幔各向异性图像.统计分析表明,中国大陆存在较强的上地幔各向异性,平均的剪切波时间延迟为0.95 s,其中西部地区为1.01 s,东部地区为0.92 s.西部地区的各向异性强度略大于东部地区.在大尺度意义下,青藏高原及天山地区,其SKS波分裂和地表变形数据共同支持岩石圈变形模式,即地壳与岩石圈地幔是连贯变形的;东部地区的平均快波偏振方向近似平行于绝对板块运动方向,上地幔各向异性归因于软流圈流动.中部的鄂尔多斯至四川盆地一带为东、西部两种变形模式的过渡带,各向异性结构较为复杂,表现为"化石"各向异性和(或)双层各向异性.印度板块和欧亚板块的碰撞是中国大陆西部上地幔各向异性的主要影响因素,东部地区则与太平洋板块和菲律宾板块向欧亚板块俯冲有关.     

基于粒子群算法的俯冲带三维有效弹性厚度反演

岩石圈有效弹性厚度是表征岩石圈力学性质的参数,其反映了岩石圈挠曲变形的特征.本文在传统二维挠曲模型的基础上,提出了适用于俯冲及碰撞带的三维薄板挠曲模型.并发展了基于粒子群算法的俯冲带三维有效弹性厚度反演方法.该方法适用于挠曲参数存在横向差异的俯冲-碰撞带.最后利用该方法反演了马尼拉海沟处岩石圈的有效弹性厚度,结果显示:南海中央海盆岩石圈的有效弹性厚度随着距洋中脊距离的增加而增大;马尼拉海沟轴部弯矩在洋中脊两侧呈分段性变化,这表明南海俯冲板片在深部撕裂可能对浅部的挠曲形态产生影响.     

Upper mantle anisotropy beneath central and southwest Japan: An insight into subduction-induced mantle flow

Analysis of seismic anisotropy in the crust and mantle wedge above subduction zones gives much information about the dynamic processes inside the Earth. For this reason, we measure shear wave polarization anisotropy in the crust and upper mantle beneath central and southwestern Japan from local shallow, intermediate, and deep earthquakes occurring in the subducting Pacific slab. We analyze S phases from 198 earthquakes recorded at 42 Japanese F-net broadband seismic stations. This data set yields a total of 980 splitting parameter pairs for central and southwestern Japan. Dominant fast polarization directions of shear waves obtained at most stations in the Kanto–Izu–Tokai areas are oriented WNW–ESE, which are sub-parallel to the subduction direction of the Pacific plate. However, minor fast polarization directions are oriented in NNE–SSW directions being parallel to the strike of the Japan Trench, especially in the north of Izu Peninsula and the northern Tokai district. Generally, fast directions obtained at stations located in Kii Peninsula and the Chubu district are oriented ENE–WSW, almost parallel to the Nankai Trough, although some fast directions have NW–SE trends. The fast directions obtained at stations in northern central Honshu are oriented N–S. Delay times vary considerably and range from 0.1 to 1.25 s depending on the source depth and the degree of anisotropy along the ray path. These lateral variations in splitting character suggest that the nature of anisotropy is quite different between the studied areas. Beneath Kanto–Tokai, the observed WNW–ESE fast directions are probably caused by the olivine A-fabric induced by the corner flow. However, the slab morphology in this region is relatively complicated as the Philippine Sea slab is overriding the Pacific slab. This complex tectonic setting may induce lateral heterogeneity in the flow and stress state of the mantle wedge, and may have produced NNE–SSW orientations of fast directions. The ENE–WSW fast directions in Kii Peninsula and the Chubu district are more coherent and may be partly induced by the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate. The N–S fast directions in northern central Honshu might be produced by the trench-parallel stretching of the wedge due to the curved slab at the arc–arc junction.     

西北太平洋俯冲带大地幔楔及地幔过渡带各向异性证据和特征

地震层析成像研究清晰给出了地球深部俯冲板片的大尺度形态,但与俯冲过程相关的地幔流动特征仍不明确.在俯冲地幔楔系统中,前人观测到了与海沟平行和垂直的快波偏振方向.本文研究了西北太平洋俯冲板片在地幔过渡带中停滞形成的"大地幔楔"中的各向异性特征.对具有长期稳定观测数据的MDJ台站SKS震相和区域深源地震的直达S波震相进行了...     

西太平洋俯冲带的研究及其动力学意义

讨论了西太平洋俯冲带的分布及特征、西太平洋Ｗａｄａｔｉ－Ｂｅｎｉｏｆｆ带的形态及俯冲带上的应力状态及太平洋板块、菲律宾海板块与欧亚板块之间的相互作用；总结了地震层析成像结果；计算了俯冲板块在地幔中引起的Ｐ波速度异常，提出了俯冲板块与６６０ｋｍ间断面相互作用的４种可能；研究了俯冲板块物理性质的变化、俯冲板块产生的负浮力及其影响因素；提出需要开展俯冲带对东亚大陆构造运动和演化的影响、俯冲带相互关系及演化的研究．     

Geomorphological study on a clastic accretionary prism: The Nankai Trough

Abstract The Nankai Trough, off southwest Japan, is one of the best sites for the study of geomorphic characteristics of a clastic accretionary prism. A recent multibeam survey over the central and eastern parts of the Nankai accretionary prism has revealed a large variation of the topography along the trough axis. Analysis of the bathymetric data suggests the existence of prism deformational features of different scales, such as depressions, embayment structures and cusps. These structures are the results of slope instability caused by basement relief of subducted oceanic plate. Unstable slopes recover by new accretion and development of a low angle thrust. Small-scale deformation due to the subduction of a small isolated seamount is then adjusted to the regional trend. By contrast, a 30 km indentation of the wedge observed in the eastern part of the Nankai Trough, the Tenryu Cusp, has seemed to retain its geometry. The subducted Philippine Sea plate has deformed greatly near the eastern end of the Nankai Trough, because of the collision between the Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) arc and central Japan. Therefore, the indentation may be the result of the continuous subduction of a basement high, such as the Zenisu Ridge, which has been formed under north-south compression due to the arc-arc collision.     

Cenozoic volcanism, stress gradient and back-arc opening in the North Island, New Zealand: Origin of Taupo-Rotorua Depression

Abstract Extensive subduction-related and intraplate volcanism characterize Cenozoic magmatism in the North Is., New Zealand. Volcanics in the central North Is., predominantly intermediate to felsic, form above the dipping seismic zone and show tectonic/geochemical features common to magmatism in most subduction zones. Basaltic volcanism in Northland, the northern part of the North Is., has chemical characteristics typical of intraplate magmatism and may be caused by the upwelling of asthenospheric materials from deeper parts of the mantle. The rifting just behind the present volcanic front (the Taupo-Rotorua Depression), which follows the trench ward migration of the volcanic front and the gradual steepening of the subducted slab, is also a feature of the North Is. A possible mechanism for the back-arc rifting in the area is injection of asthenospheric materials into the mantle wedge; this asthenospheric flow results from the mantle upwelling beneath Northland and pushes both the rigid fore-arc mantle wedge and the subducted slab trenchwards. This mechanism is also consistent with the stress fields in the North Is.: dilatation in Northland, northwest-southeast tension in the Taupo-Rotorua Depression, and the northeast-southwest compression in the fore-arc region.     

Upper mantle anisotropy and crust-mantle deformation pattern beneath the Chinese mainland

Over the past 10 years,the number of broadband seismic stations in China has increased significantly.The broadband seismic records contain information about shear-wave splitting which plays an important role in revealing the upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland.Based on teleseismic SKS and SKKS phases recorded in the seismic stations,we used the analytical method of minimum transverse energy to determine the fast wave polarization direction and delay time of shear-wave splitting.We also collected results of shear-wave splitting in China and the surrounding regions from previously published papers.From the combined dataset we formed a shear-wave splitting dataset containing 1020 parameter pairs.These splitting parameters reveal the complexity of the upper mantle anisotropy image.Our statistical analysis indicates stronger upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland,with an average shear-wave time delay of 0.95 s;the anisotropy in the western region is slightly larger(1.01 s)than in the eastern region(0.92 s).On a larger scale,the SKS splitting and surface deformation data in the Tibetan Plateau and the Tianshan region jointly support the lithospheric deformation mode,i.e.the crust-lithospheric mantle coherent deformation.In eastern China,the average fast-wave direction is approximately parallel to the direction of the absolute plate motion;thus,the upper mantle anisotropy can be attributed to the asthenospheric flow.The area from the Ordos block to the Sichuan Basin in central China is the transition zone of deformation modes between the east and the west regions,where the anisotropy images are more complicated,exhibiting"fossil"anisotropy and/or two-layer anisotropy.The collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate is the main factor of upper mantle anisotropy in the western region of the Chinese mainland,while the upper mantle anisotropy in the eastern region is related to the subduction of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate.     

Rejuvenated extension of the Philippine Sea plate and its effect on subduction dynamics in the Nankai Trough

The Nankai Trough, Japan, is a subduction zone characterized by the recurrence of disastrous earthquakes and tsunamis. Slow earthquakes and associated tremor also occur intermittently and locally in the Nankai Trough and the causal relationship between slow earthquakes and large earthquakes is important to understanding subduction zone dynamics. The Nankai Trough off Muroto, Shikoku Island, near the southeast margin of the rupture segment of the 1946 Nankai earthquake, is one of three regions where slow earthquakes and tremor cluster in the Nankai Trough. On the Philippine Sea plate, the rifting of the central domain of the Shikoku Basin was aborted at ~15 Ma and underthrust the Nankai forearc off Muroto. Here, the Tosa-Bae seamount and other high-relief features, which are northern extension of the Kinan Seamount chain, have collided with and indented the forearc wedge. In this study, we analyzed seismic reflection profiles around the deformation front of accretionary wedge and stratigraphically correlated them to drilling sites off Muroto. Our results show that the previously aborted horst-and-graben structures, which were formed around the spreading center of the Shikoku Basin at ~15 Ma, were rejuvenated locally at ~6 Ma and more regionally at ~3.3 Ma and have remained active since. The reactivated normal faulting has enhanced seafloor roughness and appears to affect the locations of slow earthquakes and tremors. Rejuvenated normal faulting is not limited to areas near the Nankai Trough, and extends more than 200 km into the Shikoku Basin to the south. This extension might be due to extensional forces applied to the Philippine Sea plate, which appear to be driven by slab-pull in the Ryukyu and Philippine trenches along the western margin of the Philippine Sea plate.     

对日本俯冲带与IBM俯冲带俯冲特征的地球物理研究:来自重力与震源分布数据的启示

日本俯冲带与IBM俯冲带位于太平洋板块、菲律宾海板块和欧亚板块三者的交汇地带,是典型的"俯冲工厂"地区,具有重要的研究意义.本文利用震源分布资料与卫星重力数据对日本俯冲带与IBM俯冲带进行了研究.通过空间重力异常反映了俯冲带地区的区域构造形态,在此基础上基于艾利模式计算了均衡异常以反映地壳均衡特征.利用震源分布资料,分别从垂直俯冲带走向与沿俯冲带走向划定了横截剖面(cross-sections)进行了地震提取,讨论了俯冲带地区的Wadati-Benioff带形态特征,并借助于俯冲带地震等深线图直观描述了俯冲带的俯冲形态.在日本俯冲带与伊豆—小笠原俯冲带各选取了一条典型剖面进行了重力2.5D反演,研究了俯冲带地区的壳幔结构特征.研究结果表明,九州—帕劳海脊与IBM岛弧在均衡异常上存在差异,前者已逐渐趋向于地壳均衡.IBM的Wadati-Benioff带存在明显的南北差异,反映出伊豆—小笠原俯冲板片停留在了660km转换带中,而马里亚纳俯冲板片很可能垂直穿过了这一转换带,造成这种南北差异的原因与板块相对运动、岩石圈黏性和年龄差异以及俯冲板片的重力效应等因素有关.在IBM的中部和南部存在板片撕裂现象.日本俯冲带的俯冲洋壳密度随俯冲深度变化较小,洋幔存在一定程度的蛇纹岩化,地幔楔蛇纹岩化作用不典型,海沟处有一范围较小的含水畸变带;伊豆—小笠原俯冲带俯冲洋壳密度随深度增大而明显增大,洋幔蛇纹岩化程度较日本俯冲带低,地幔楔蛇纹岩化作用强烈,板块交汇处存在明显的蛇纹岩底辟.日本俯冲带与IBM俯冲带一线自北向南板片俯冲变陡,两侧板块耦合度降低,与俯冲带两侧的板块运动速率差异有关.     

Joint bulk-sound and shear tomography for Western Pacific subduction zones

Detailed regional body wave tomographic inversion of the Western Pacific region has been performed using P and S travel times from common sources and receivers, with a joint inversion in terms of bulk-sound and shear wave-speed variations in the mantle. This technique allows the separation of the influence of bulk and shear moduli, and hence a more direct comparison with mineral physics information. The study region is parameterized with cells of side 0.5° to 2° and 19 layers to a depth of 1500 km, while the rest of the mantle was parameterized with 5×5° cells with 16 layers between the surface and the core–mantle boundary. A simultaneous inversion is made for regional and global structures to minimize the influence of surrounding structures on the regional image. A nested iterative inversion scheme is employed with local linearization and three-dimensional ray tracing through the successive model updates. The results of the regional tomographic inversion reveal the penetration of a subducted slab below the 660 km discontinuity at the Kurile–Kamchatka trench, while flattening of slabs above this depth is observed in the Japan and Izu–Bonin subduction zones on both the bulk-sound and shear wave-speed images. The penetration of a subducted slab down to a depth of at least 1200 km is seen below the southern part of the Bonin trench, Mariana, Philippine, and Java subduction zones. Fast shear wave-speed perturbations associated with the subducted slabs, down to the 410 km transition zone, are larger than the comparable bulk-sound perturbations for all these subduction zones except the Philippines. The bulk-sound signature for the subducted slab is more pronounced than for shear in the Philippines, Talaud, New Guinea, Solomon, and Tonga subduction zones, where penetration of the slab into the middle mantle is observed. Variation in the amplitude ratio between bulk-sound and shear wave-speed anomalies correlates well with the subduction parameters of the descending slab. Slabs younger than 90 Ma at the trench show bulk-sound dominance in the upper mantle, while older slabs have a stronger shear wave-speed signature. Spreading of the fast shear wave-speed zone between 800 and 1000 km is observed in the areas of deep subducted slab penetration, but has no comparable expression in the bulk-sound images. This high-velocity feature may reflect physical or chemical disequilibria introduced to the lower mantle by subducted slabs.