Evidence from P-to-S mantle converted waves for a flat “660-km” discontinuity beneath Iceland

Iceland is the type example of a ridge-centered hotspot. It is controversial whether the seismic anomaly beneath it originates in the lower mantle or the upper mantle. Some recent studies reported that the 660-km discontinuity beneath central Iceland is shallow relative to peripheral regions and this was interpreted as an effect of elevated temperature at that depth. We investigate topography of the major upper mantle discontinuities by separating the effects of the topography and volumetric velocity heterogeneity in P receiver functions from 55 seismograph stations. Our analysis demonstrates that a significant (at least 10-km) shallowing of the 660-km discontinuity is only possible in the case of improbably low seismic velocities in the mantle transition zone beneath central Iceland. If, as in previous studies, lateral velocity variations in the mantle transition zone are neglected, the data require a depressed rather than an uplifted 660-km discontinuity. For a reasonable S-wave velocity anomaly in the mantle transition zone (around − 3%) no topography on the 660-km discontinuity is required. This can be explained by the lack of temperature anomaly or an effect of two phase transitions with opposite Clapeyron slopes.     

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.     

Phase transition zone width implications for convection structure

A temperature and pressure increase in the mantle causes phase transitions and related density changes in its material. The transition boundary in the pressure-temperature phase diagram is determined by the curve of phase equilibrium with the slope γ = dp/dT. If the slope is nonzero, a phase transition in hot ascending and cold descending mantle flows occurs at different depths and, therefore, either enhances (γ > 0) or slows down convection (γ < 0). The mantle material has a multicomponent composition. Therefore, phase transitions in the mantle are distributed over an interval of pressures and depths. In this interval, the concentration of one phase smoothly decreases and the concentration of the other increases. The widths of phase transition zones in the Earth’s mantle vary from 3 km for the endothermic transition in olivine at a depth of 660 km to 500 km for the exothermic transition in perovskite, and the high-to-low spin change in the atomic state of iron takes place at a depth of about 1500 km. This work presents results of calculations demonstrating the convection effect of phase transitions as a function of the transition zone width. Transitions of both types with different slopes of the phase curve and different intensities of mantle convection are examined. For the first time, the convection enhancement and an increase in the mass transfer across the phase boundary are quantitatively investigated in the presence of an exothermic phase transition as a function of the slope of the phase curve. The mixing of material under conditions of partially layered convection is examined with the help of markers.     

Probability of radial anisotropy in the deep mantle

It is well established that the Earth's uppermost mantle is anisotropic, but observations of anisotropy in the deeper mantle have been more ambiguous. Radial anisotropy, the discrepancy between Love and Rayleigh waves, was included in the top 220 km of PREM, but there is no consensus whether anisotropy is present below that depth. Fundamental mode surface waves, for commonly used periods up to 200 s, are sensitive to structure in the first few hundred kilometers and therefore do not provide information on anisotropy below. Higher mode surface waves, however, have sensitivities that extend to and below the transition zone and should thus give insight about anisotropy at greater depths, but they are very difficult to measure. We previously developed a new technique to measure higher mode surface wave phase velocities with consistent uncertainties. These data are used here to construct probability density functions of a radially anisotropic Earth model down to approximately 1500 km. In the uppermost mantle, we obtain a high probability of faster horizontally polarized shear wave speed, likely to be related to plate motion. In the asthenosphere and transition zone, however, we find a high probability of faster vertically polarized shear wave speed. To a depth of 1500 km in the lower mantle, we see no significant shear wave anisotropy. This is consistent with results from laboratory measurements which show that lower mantle minerals are anisotropic but LPO is unlikely to develop in the pressure–temperature conditions present in the mid-mantle.     

The nature of the boundary between the upper and the lower mantle and its influence on convection

In the PREM seismic model, the boundary between the upper and the lower mantle is accepted at a depth of 670 km, where seismic velocities and density increase. However, until recently there was an obvious inconsistency in this model. The density increases abruptly, and the velocities, in addition to the jumps, have also the subsequent zones of increased gradient. The discontinuity between the upper and the lower mantle is related to the transition of olivine from the ringwoodite phase into the mixture of perovskite and magnesiowustite. However, in the pyrolyte model, the transition zone of the upper mantle consists not wholly of olivine, but partly of olivine (60%) and partly of garnet (40%). The latest data of the garnet measurement at high pressures show that it also experiences phase transition, being converted into magnesium perovskite with the impurity of calcium perovskite. In contrast to the sharp transition in olivine (within a depth interval of only 5 km), the transition in garnet is spread over the interval of depths of 660–710 km. In the widely used PREM and AK135 models, this additional transition corresponds to the zone of the increased gradient in seismic velocities, while in the density distribution it is included in the sharp transition of ringwoodite. Thus, the mineralogy data indicate the need for correction of the PREM and AK135 seismic models: the density jump at a depth of 660 km should be reduced by approximately a factor of two, and a subjacent layer with the increased density gradient should be added at the depth interval of 660–710 km. The phase transition in olivine hampers the mantle flows, although in garnet it accelerates them. Therefore, with an allowance for the smaller jump in density, the decelerating effect of the subducting plates, caused by the phase transition in olivine, decreases, and, furthermore, the effect of their acceleration, caused by the phase transition in garnet, is added. The decrease in the density jump by almost a factor of two will lead to essential changes in the results of the majority of recent works addressing the assessment of the deceleration of convection at the upper/lower mantle discontinuity on the basis of the PREM model.     

Phase transformations in the earth's mantle and subducting slabs: Implications for their compositions, seismic velocity and density structures and dynamics

Abstract Phase transformations in model mantle compositions and those in subducting slabs have been reviewed to a depth of 800 km on the basis of recent high-pressure experimental data. Seismic velocity and density profiles in these compositions have also been calculated using these and other mineral physics data. The nature of the seismic velocity and density profiles calculated for a pyrolite composition was found to generally agree with those determined by seismic observations (e.g. PREM). The locations of the seismic discontinuities at 400 and 670 km correspond almost exactly to the depths where the transformations of the olivine component to denser phases take place. Moreover, the steep gradients in the seismic velocity/density profiles observed between these depths are qualitatively consistent with those expected from the successive transformations in the complementary pyroxene-garnet component in the pyrolite composition. Further, the calculated seismic velocity and density values agree well with those observed in the upper mantle and mantle transition region within the uncertainties attached to these calculations and observations. Pyrolite or peridotite compositions are thus most likely to represent the composition of the mantle above 670 km depth, although some degrees of chemical heterogeneity may exist in the transition region. The observed sharp discontinuous increases of seismic velocities and density at this depth may be attributed either to the phase transformation to a perovskite-bearing assemblage in pyrolite or to chemical composition changes. Density profiles in subducted slabs have been calculated along adequate geotherms assuming that the slabs are composed of the former oceanic crust underlain by a thicker harzburgitic layer. It is shown that the former oceanic crust is substantially less dense than the surrounding pyrolite mantle at depths below 670 km, while it is denser than pyrolite in the upper mantle and the transition region. The subducted former oceanic crust may be trapped in this region, forming a geochemically enriched layer at the upper mantle-lower mantle boundary. Thick and cool slabs may penetrate into the lower mantle, but the chemically derived buoyancy may result in strong deformation and formation of megalith structures around the 670 km seismic discontinuity. These structures are consistent with those detected by recent seismic tomography studies for subduction zones.     

Elasticity of pyroxene-garnet and pyroxene-ilmenite phase transformations in germanates

Ultrasonic data for the velocities of the low- and high-pressure polymorphs of germanate compounds undergoing the pyroxene-garnet (CaGeO₃, CdGeO₃) and pyroxene-ilmenite (MgGeO₃, MnGeO₃) phase transformations have been determined as a function of pressure to 7.5 kbar at room temperature for polycrystalline specimens hot-pressed at pressures up to 60 kbar. These transitions are characterized by the following velocity (υ)-density (ρ) relationships: (1) the velocity jumps are comparable in percentage magnitude to the density jumps, with the exception of shear velocity for the pyroxene-ilmenite transition; (2) the ratio (υ_p/υ_s) of the compressional to shear velocity is constant or increases slightly across the transitions; and (3) low slopes (linear or logarithmic) on υ-ρ diagrams. The observed relationships (1) and (2) are similar to those for the coesite-stishovite transition, but are in marked contrast with those from the olivine-spinel and olivine-beta phase transformations. Coordination changes are thus important factors to be considered in establishing velocity-density systematics governing polymorphic transitions. The υ-ρ changes across the pyroxene-garnet and pyroxene-ilmenite transitions are also distinctly smaller than those produced by compression or thermal expansion of a homogeneous material or by varying composition at constant mean atomic weight. Systematic trends in the elastic properties for isostructural sequences support the concept of germanates as models for the elasticity of their silicate analogues; this scheme is applied to estimate the bulk moduli of the garnet (1.80 Mbar) and ilmenite (2.11 Mbar) polymorphs of MgSiO₃.     

Upper mantle heterogeneity in the northern part of Eurasia

A two dimensional velocity model of the upper mantle has been compiled from a long-range seismic profile crossing the West Siberian young plate and the old Siberian platform. It revealed considerable horizontal and vertical heterogeneity of the mantle. A sharp seismic boundary at a depth of 400 km outlines the high-velocity gradient transition zone, its base lying at a depth of 650 km. Several layers with different velocities, velocity gradients and wave attenuation are distinguished in the upper mantle. They likewise differ in their inner structure. For instance, the uppermost 50–70 km of the mantle are divided into blocks with velocities from 7.9–8.1 to 8.4–8.6 km s^?1.Comparison of the travel-time curves for the Siberian long-range profile with those compiled from seismological data for Europe distinguished large-scale upper mantle inhomogeneities of the Eurasian continent and allowed for the correlation of tectonic features and geophysical fields. The velocity heterogeneity of the uppermost 50–100 km of the mantle correlates with the platform age and heat flow, i.e., the young plates of Western Europe and Western Siberia have slightly lower velocities and higher heat flows than the ancient East European and Siberian platforms. At greater depths (150–250 km) the upper mantle velocities increase from the ocean to the inner parts of the continent. The structure of the transition zone differs significantly beneath Western Europe and the other parts of Eurasia. The sharp boundary at a depth of 400 km, traced throughout the whole continent as the boundary reflecting intensive waves, transforms beneath Western Europe into a gradient zone. This transition zone feature correlates with positions of the North Atlantic-west Europe geoid and heat-flow anomalies.     

Velocity properties of the lithosphere in the ocean-continent transition zone in the Kamchatka region from seismic tomography data

Arrival times of P and S waves from local earthquakes in the Kamchatka area of the Kurile-Kamchatka Island Arc are used for calculating a spatial model of the elastic wave velocity distribution to a depth of 200 km. The lithosphere is shown to be strongly stratified in its velocity properties and laterally heterogeneous within the mantle wedge and seismic focal zone. A lower velocity layer (an asthenospheric wedge) is identified at depths of 70–130 km beneath the Eastern Kamchatka volcanic belt. The morphology of the Moho interface and the velocity properties of the crust are studied. The main tectonic structures of the region are shown to be closely interrelated with deep velocity heterogeneities. Regular patterns in the statistics of the earthquakes are analyzed in relation to variations in the elastic wave velocities in the focal layer. A mechanism of lithospheric block displacements along weakened zones of the lower crust and upper mantle is proposed.     

Deep crustal structure of the kamchatkan volcanic regions

Crustal structure in a number of Kamchatka volcanic regions is deduced from geophysical data. Anomalous structure and physical properties of the crust are found beneath some volcanic groups. Beneath the Klyuchevskaya and Avachinskaya volcanic groups crustal layers have high elastic properties. There is a thick transition layer from the crust to the upper mantle which has lower clastic properties and electrical resistance. These data, supported by experimental investigations of elastic properties of xenoliths in volcanic rocks at high pressures and temperatures, enable the probable substance composition of the crustal layers to be defined. The feeding zones and magma chambers of individual volcanoes are deduced from anomalies in gravity, electrical conductivity and seismic wave propagation.     

硬石膏断层带摩擦稳定性转换与微破裂特征的实验研究

断层带摩擦稳定性转换及其对应的微破裂特征对于地震成核条件和慢地震机理研究具有重要的意义.本文利用双轴实验装置研究了硬石膏断层带摩擦稳定性的转换及其对应的应变变化、微破裂特征,并分析了实验标本的微观结构.实验结果表明,σ₂和加载点速度对断层滑动稳定性具有显著影响.在低σ₂条件下,硬石膏断层带出现不稳定滑动,变形以局部化的脆性破裂和摩擦为主;随σ₂的增加,断层由不稳定滑动向稳定滑动转换,断层带变形方式逐渐转变为分布式的破裂.在低σ₂条件下,硬石膏断层带在较低加载点速度下表现为速度强化且滑动稳定,在中等加载点速度下表现为速度弱化并伴有准周期性的黏滑,在较高加载点速度下又有转向速度强化的趋势,σ₂的提高使得速度弱化的范围逐渐减少,滑动趋于稳定.上述两次转换对应不同的微破裂特征,在较高速度下从速度弱化转换为速度强化时,断层滑动伴有能量较小但频度很高的微破裂活动,而在较低速度下从速度弱化转换为速度强化时,断层滑动伴有间歇性的微破裂,这与断层带的微观结构特征有较好的对应关系,表明其转换机制是不同的.     

Elastic properties,chemical composition,and crystal structure of minerals

The observed systematic relations between velocities, density, and crystal structure in minerals are viewed as part of the general problem of the interactions of ions and electrons in solids. A complete explanation of these systematics would result from an adequate physical model of interactions between atoms in a crystal. For ionic models, understanding such interactions mainly requires knowledge of inter-ionic repulsive forces, which can be calculated from solutions for the electronic energy levels. The main forms of systematics developed in the last few years can be classed either as bulk modulus-molar volume (K-V _M ) or, equivalently, velocity-density (v-p) relations. Isostructural and isochemical (having constant mean atomic weight ) trends exist, and for both classes of systematics it is possible to produce semi-empirical universal expressions with the ability to predict elastic properties to a few percent. The best estimates of composition of the Earth's interior come from comparisons of mineral elastic properties with seismic data. On the basis of current velocity profiles of the Earth, the mantle appears to be chemically homogeneous.     

Experimental study of spinel-garnet phase transition in upper mantle and its significance

Experimental study of spinel-garnet phase transition was carried out using natural mineral and rock specimens from xenolith of mantle rocks in Cenozoic basalt as starting materials. From the result it was found that the condition of spinel Iherzolite-garnet Ihenolite phase transition (T = 1 100°C andP = 1.8–2.0 GPa) is consistent with theP-T equilibrium condition of the five-phase assemblage spinel/garnet Iherzolite in eastern China, suggesting that there may exist a spinel-garnet Iherzolite phase transition zone with the thickness of a few km to several ten km at the depth of 55–70 km in the continental upper mantle of eastern China. The depth of phase transition from spinel pyroxenite to garnet pyroxenite is found to be less than 55 km. Experiment results also show that water promotes metasomatism on one hand but suppresses phase transition on the other. Zoning of mineral composition was also discussed. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Thermal structure and thickness of the lithospheric mantle underlying the Siberian Craton from the kraton and kimberlit superlong seismic profiles

A self-consistent approach is proposed for the investigation of the thermal conditions, chemical composition, and internal structure of the upper mantle of the Earth. Using this approach, the thermal state of the lithospheric mantle beneath the Siberian Craton (SC) is reconstructed from P velocities, taking into account the phase transitions, anharmonicity, and the effects of anelasticity. The velocities of seismic waves are more sensitive to temperature than to the composition of the mantle rocks, which allows the velocity models to be effectively used for reconstruction of the thermal regime of the mantle. The temperature at depths 100–300 km is reconstructed by inversion of the Kraton and Kimberlit superlong seismic profiles for compositions of the garnet harzburgite, lherzolite, and intermediate composition of garnet peridotite. The averaged temperature in the normal continental mantle is reconstructed by inversion of the IASP91 reference model for depleted and fertile substance. One-dimensional models and two-dimensional thermal fields undergo a substantial fall in temperature (～300–600°C) beneath the Siberian Craton as compared to the temperatures of the continental mantle and paleotemperatures inferred from the thermobarometry of xenoliths. Temperature profiles of the Siberian Craton deduced from seismic data lie between the conductive geotherms of 32.5–40.0 mW/m² and below the P(H)-T values obtained for low- and high-temperature xenoliths from the Mir, Udachnaya, and Obnazhennaya kimberlite pipes. The thickness of the thermal lithosphere estimated from the intersection with the potential adiabat is 300–320 km, which is consistent with the data on heat flows and seismotomographic observations. This provides grounds for the assumption that the low-temperature anomalies (thermal roots of continents) penetrate down to a depth of 300 km. The analysis of the sensitivity of seismic velocity and density to the variations in temperature, pressure, and chemical and phase composition of petrological models shows that recognition of fine differences in chemical composition of the lithospheric rocks by seismic methods is impossible.     

Crustal structure of the northeastern Tibetan plateau,the Ordos block and the Sichuan basin from ambient noise tomography

We apply ambient noise tomography to significant seismic data resources in a region including the northeastern Tibetan plateau,the Ordos block and the Sichuan basin.The seismic data come from about 160 stations of the provincial broadband digital seismograph networks of China.Ambient noise cross-correlations are performed on the data recorded between 2007 and 2009 and high quality inter-station Rayleigh phase velocity dispersion curves are obtained between periods of 6 s to 35 s.Resulting Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps possess a lateral resolution between 100 km and 200 km.The phase velocities at short periods (20 s) are lower in the Sichuan basin,the northwest segment of the Ordos block and the Weihe graben,and outline sedimentary deposits.At intermediate and long periods (25 s),strong high velocity anomalies are observed within the Ordos block and the Sichuan basin and low phase velocities are imaged in the northeastern Tibetan plateau,reflecting the variation of crustal thickness from the Tibetan plateau to the neighboring regions in the east.Crustal and uppermost mantle shear wave velocities vary strongly between the Tibetan plateau,the Sichuan basin and the Ordos block.The Ordos block and the Sichuan basin are dominated by high shear wave velocities in the crust and uppermost mantle.There is a triangle-shaped low velocity zone located in the northeastern Tibetan plateau,whose width narrows towards the eastern margin of the plateau.No low velocity zone is apparent beneath the Qinling orogen,suggesting that mass may not be able to flow eastward through the boundary between the Ordos block and the Sichuan basin in the crust and uppermost mantle.     

Elasticity of MgO to 130 GPa: Implications for lower mantle mineralogy

The aggregate shear wave velocities of MgO (periclase) have been determined throughout Earth's lower mantle pressure regime approaching 130 GPa using Brillouin spectroscopy in conjunction with synchrotron X-ray diffraction technique in a diamond anvil cell apparatus. We found that the extrapolations of the high-pressure shear wave velocities and shear moduli to ambient pressure are highly consistent with earlier studies. However, the measurements over a wide pressure range revealed that the pressure derivative of the shear modulus (dG/dP = G₀′) of MgO is 1.92(2), which is distinctly lower than that of previous lower-pressure experiments. Compared with the previous results on (Mg,Fe)O ferropericlase, there is no clear correlation between iron content and G₀′. We calculate that the shear wave velocity profile of lower mantle along the adiabatic geotherm applied by the lower G₀′ value of periclase can remarkably well reproduce the global seismological 1-D velocity profile model with uniform composition model. The best-fitting result indicates the possibility of a lower mantle mineralogy with ~ 92 vol.% silicate perovskite phase, implying that the bulk composition of lower mantle is likely not to be pyrolitic but more chondritic. The present acoustic measurements performed over the large pressure range have thus led us to a better understanding of compositional model of the Earth's lower mantle.     

Influence of an endothermic phase transition on mass transfer between the upper and the lower mantle

Geochemical data indicate that two major reservoirs 1–2 Ga in age are present in the mantle. The upper mantle, feeding mid-ocean ridges, is depleted in chemical elements carried away into the continental crust. The lower mantle, feeding hotspot plumes, is close in composition to primordial matter. The 660-km depth of an endothermic phase transition in olivine has been considered over the last two decades as a possible boundary between the reservoirs. In this period, many models of mantle convection were constructed that used values of the phase transition parameters, which led to temporal (up to 1 Gyr long) convection layerings and periodic avalanche-induced mantle intermixing events. However, laboratory measurements with new improved instrumentation give other values of the phase transition parameters that require a revision of the majority of the existence of large-scale avalanches in the Earth’s history becomes disputable. The paper is devoted to comprehensive study of the phase transition effect on the structure of mantle flows with different values of phase transition parameters and Rayleigh numbers; in particular, the mass transfer through the phase boundary is calculated for different regimes of steady-state convection.     

Elasticity of (Mg, Fe)(Si, Al)O3-perovskite at high pressure

The most abundant mineral on Earth has a perovskite crystal structure and a chemistry that is dominated by MgSiO₃ with the next most abundant cations probably being aluminum and ferric iron. The dearth of experimental elasticity data for this chemically complex mineral limits our ability to calculate model seismic velocities for the lower mantle. We have calculated the single crystal elastic moduli (c_ij) for (Mg, Fe^3 +)(Si, Al)O₃ perovskite using density functional theory in order to investigate the effect of chemical variations and spin state transitions of the Fe³⁺ ions. Considering the favored coupled substitution of Mg²⁺-Si^4 + by Fe³⁺-Al³⁺, we find that the effect of ferric iron on seismic properties is comparable with the same amount of ferrous iron. Ferric iron lowers the elastic moduli relative to the Al charge-coupled substitution. Substitution of Fe³⁺ for Al³⁺, giving rise to an Fe/Mg ratio of 6%, causes 1.8% lower longitudinal velocity and 2.5% lower shear velocity at ambient pressure and 1.1% lower longitudinal velocity and 1.8% lower shear velocity at 142 GPa. The spin state of the iron for this composition has a relatively small effect (< 0.5% variation) on both bulk modulus and shear modulus.     

New Perspectives on Mantle Dynamics from High-resolution Seismic Tomographic Model P1200

—Recently a high-resolution tomographic model, the P1200, based on P-wave travel times was developed, which allowed for detailed imaging of the top 1200 km of the mantle. This model was used in diverse ways to study mantle viscosity structure and geodynamical processes. In the spatial domain there are lateral variations in the transition zone, suggesting interaction between the lower-mantle plumes and the region from 600 km to 1000 km. Some examples shown here include the continental region underneath Manchuria, Ukraine and South Africa, where horizontal structures lie above or below the 660 km discontinuity. The blockage of upwelling is observed under central Africa and the interaction between the upwelling and the transition zone under the slow Icelandic region appears to be complex. An expansion of the aspherical seismic velocities has been taken out to spherical harmonics of degree 60. For degrees exceeding around 10, the spectra at various depths decay with a power-law like dependence on the degree, with the logarithmic slopes in the asymptotic portion of the spectra containing values between 2 and 2.6. These spectral results may suggest the time-dependent nature of mantle convection. Details of the viscosity structure in the top 1200 km of the mantle have been inferred both from global and regional geoid data and from the high-resolution tomographic model. We have considered only the intermediate degrees (l = 12–25) in the nonlinear inversion with a genetic algorithm approach. Several families of acceptable viscosity profiles are found for both oceanic and global data. The families of solutions for the two data sets have different characteristics. Most of the solutions asociated with the global geoid data show the presence of asthenosphere below the lithosphere. In other families a low viscosity zone between 400 and 600 km depth is found to lie atop a viscosity jump. Other families evidence a viscosity decrease across the 660 km discontinuity. Solutions from oceanic geoid show basically two low viscosity zones one lying right below the lithosphere; the other right under 660-km depth. All of these results bespeak clearly the plausible existence of strong vertical viscosity stratification in the top 1000 km of the mantle. The presence of the second asthenosphere may have important dynamical ramifications on issues pertaining to layered mantle convection. Numerical modelling of mantle convection with two phase transitions and a realistic temperature- and pressure-dependent viscosity demonstrates that a low viscosity region under the endothermic phase transition can indeed be generated self-consistently in time-dependent situations involving a partially layered configuration in an axisymmetric spherical-shell model.     

Crust and upper mantle structure of the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and adjacent regions

Using arrival data of the body waves recorded by seismic stations, we reconstructed the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea through a travel time tomography technique. The result revealed the apparent tectonic variation along the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and its adjacent regions. High velocities are observed in the upper and middle crust beneath the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and they reflect the character of the fast uplifting and cooling of the metamorphic belt after the ductile shearing of the fault zone, while low velocities in the lower crust and near the Moho imply a relatively active crust-mantle boundary beneath the fault zone. On the west of the fault zone, the large-scale low velocities in the uppermost mantle beneath western Yunnan prove the influence of the mantle heat flow on volcano, hot spring and magma activities, however, the upper mantle on the eas