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.     

How flat is the lower-mantle temperature gradient?

The temperature gradient in the lower mantle is fundamental in prescribing many transport properties, such as the viscosity, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. The adiabatic temperature gradient is commonly employed for estimating these transport properties in the lower mantle. We have carried out a series of high-resolution 3-D anelastic compressible convections in a spherical shell with the PREM seismic model as the background density and bulk modulus and the thermal expansivity decreasing with depth. Our purpose was to assess how close under realistic conditions the horizontally averaged thermal gradient would lie to the adiabatic gradient derived from the convection model. These models all have an endothermic phase change at 660 km depth with a Clapeyron slope of around −3 MPa K⁻¹, uniform internal heating and a viscosity increase of 30 across the phase transition. The global Rayleigh number for basal heating is around 2×10⁶, while an internal heating Rayleigh number as high as 10⁸ has been employed. The pattern of convection is generally partially layered with a jump of the geotherm across the phase change of at most 300 K. In all thermally equilibrated situations the geothermal gradients in the lower mantle are small, around 0.1 K km⁻¹, and are subadiabatic. Such a low gradient would produce a high peak in the lower-mantle viscosity, if the temperature is substituted into a recently proposed rheological law in the lower mantle. Although the endothermic phase transition may only cause partial layering in the present-day mantle, its presence can exert a profound influence on the state of adiabaticity over the entire mantle.     

Experimental investigation of phase transformations of olivine and enstatite at the lower part of the mantle transition zone: Implications for structure of the 660 km seismic discontinuity

High-pressure polymorphs of olivine and enstatite are major constituent minerals in the mantle transition zone(MTZ).The phase transformations of olivine and enstatite at pressure and temperature conditions corresponding to the lower part of the MTZ are import for understanding the nature of the 660 km seismic discontinuity.In this study,we determine phase transformations of olivine(MgSi2O4) and enstatite(MgSiO3) systematiclly at pressures between 21.3 and 24.4 GPa and at a constant temperature of 1600℃.The most profound discrepancy between olivine and enstatite phase transformation is the occurency of perovskite.In the olivine system,the post-spinel transformation occures at 23.8 GPa,corresponding to a depth of 660 km.In contrast,perovskite appears at 23 GPa(640 km) in the enstatite system.The ~1 GPa gap could explain the uplifting and/or splitting of the 660 km seismic discountinuity under eastern China.     

Lower mantle dynamics with the post-perovskite phase change, radiative thermal conductivity, temperature- and depth-dependent viscosity

The new post-perovskite phase near the core-mantle boundary has important ramifications on lower mantle dynamics. We have investigated the dynamical impact arising from the interaction of temperature- and depth-dependent viscosity with radiative thermal conductivity, up to a lateral viscosity contrast of 10⁴, on both the ascending and descending flows in the presence of both the endothermic phase change at 670 km depth and an exothermic post-perovskite transition at 2650 km depth. The phase boundaries are approximated as localized zones. We have employed a two-dimensional Cartesian model, using a box with an aspect-ratio of 10, within the framework of the extended Boussinesq approximation. Our results for temperature- and depth-dependent viscosity corroborate the previous results for depth-dependent viscosity in that a sufficiently strong radiative thermal conductivity plays an important role for sustaining superplumes in the lower mantle, once the post-perovskite phase change is brought into play. This aspect is especially emphasized, when the radiative thermal conductivity is restricted only to the post-perovskite phase. These results revealed a greater degree of asymmetry is produced in the vertical flow structures of the mantle by the phase transitions. Mass and heat transfer between the upper and lower mantle will deviate substantially from the traditional whole-mantle convection model. Streamlines revealed that an overall complete communication between the top and lower mantle is difficult to be achieved.     

Subduction zone earthquakes and stress in slabs

Summary The pattern of seismicity as a function of depth in the world, and the orientation of stress axes of deep and intermediate earthquakes, are explained using viscous fluid models of subducting slabs, with a barrier in the mantle at 670 km. 670 km is the depth of a seismic discontinuity, and also the depth below which earthquakes do not occur. The barrier in the models can be a viscosity increase of an order of magnitude or more, or a chemical discontinuity where vertical velocity is zero. LongN versus depth, whereN is the number of earthquakes, shows (1) a linear decrease to about 250–300 km depth, (2) a minimum near that depth, and (3) an increase thereafter. Stress magnitude in a subducting slab versus depth, for a wide variety of models, shows the same pattern. Since there is some experimental evidence thatN is proportional toe , where is a constant and is the stress magnitude, the agreement is encouraging. In addition, the models predict down-dip compression in the slab at depths below 400 km. This has been observed in earlier studies of earthquake stress axes, and we have confirmed it via a survey of events occurring since 1977 which have been analysed by moment tensor inversion. At intermediate depths, the models predict an approximate but not precise state of down-dip tension when the slab is dipping. The observations do not show an unambiguous state of down-dip tension at intermediate depths, but in the majority of regions the state of stress is decidedly closer to down-dip tension than it is to down-dip compression. Chemical discontinuities above 670 km, or phase transitions with an elevation of the boundary in the slab, predict, when incorporated into the models, stress peaks which are not mirrored in the profile of seismicity versus depth. Models with an asthenosphere and mesosphere of appropriate viscosity can not only explain the state of stress observed in double Benioff zones, but also yield stress magnitude profiles consistent with observed seismicity. Models where a nonlinear rheology is used are qualitatively consistent with the linear models.     

Viscosity distribution in the mantle convection models

Viscosity is a fundamental property of the mantle which determines the global geodynamical processes. According to the microscopic theory of defects and laboratory experiments, viscosity exponentially depends on temperature and pressure, with activation energy and activation volume being the parameters. The existing laboratory measurements are conducted with much higher strain rates than in the mantle and have significant uncertainty. The data on postglacial rebound only allow the depth distributions of viscosity to be reconstructed. Therefore, spatial distributions (along the depth and lateral) are as of now determined from the models of mantle convection which are calculated by the numerical solution of the convection equations, together with the viscosity dependences on pressure and temperature (PT-dependences). The PT-dependences of viscosity which are presently used in the numerical modeling of convection give a large scatter in the estimates for the lower mantle, which reaches several orders of magnitude. In this paper, it is shown that it is possible to achieve agreement between the calculated depth distributions of viscosity throughout the entire mantle and the postglacial rebound data. For this purpose, the values of the volume and energy of activation for the upper mantle can be taken from the laboratory experiments, and for the lower mantle, the activation volume should be reduced twice at the 660-km phase transition boundary. Next, the reduction in viscosity by an order of magnitude revealed at the depths below 2000 km by the postglacial rebound data can be accounted for by the presence of heavy hot material at the mantle bottom in the LLSVP zones. The models of viscosity spatial distribution throughout the entire mantle with the lithospheric plates are presented.     

Study on the rheology of subducting slabs

We calculate thermal and phase structures of subducting slabs for different subducting velocities by a modified coupling code of the kinetic phase-transformation equations and the heat-diffusion equation with latent-heat release. Whereafter, we estimate their rheology structures based on the thermal and phase structures from the mineral physical point of view. At shallow depth, the upper layer has a high effective viscosity greater than 10³⁴Pa · s; while the lower layer has a relatively low effective viscosity, which is greater than 10²⁶Pa · s nevertheless. The effective viscosities below the kinetic phase boundary of olivine to wadsleyite decrease obviously, and reach a minimum of 10²²Pa · s. Small areas with higher effective viscosities exist above the depth of about 700 km in subducting slabs, which are produced by lower temperatures that are related with endothermic phase transformation of spinel to perovskite and magnesiowustite. The 1% and 99% isograds of spinel proportion delineate tortuous belts with low effective viscosities, which would affect the geodynamic behavior of subducting slabs.     

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.     

The influence of trench migration on slab penetration into the lower mantle

A two-dimensional numerical convection model in cartesian geometry is used to study the influence of trench migration on the ability of subducted slabs to penetrate an endothermic phase boundary at 660 km depth. The transient subduction history of an oceanic plate is modelled by imposing plate and trench motion at the surface. The viscosity depends on temperature and depth. A variety of styles of slab behaviour is found, depending predominantly on the trench velocity. When trench retreat is faster than 2–4 cm/a, the descending slab flattens above the phase boundary. At slower rates it penetrates straight into the lower mantle, although flattening in the transition zone may occur later, leading to a complex slab morphology. The slab can buckle, independent of whether it penetrates or not, especially when there is a localised increase in viscosity at the phase boundary. Flattened slabs are only temporarily arrested in the transition zone and sink ultimately into the lower mantle. The results offer a framework for understanding the variety in slab geometry revealed by seismic tomography.     

亚稳态橄榄石对俯冲带负浮力的影响及其动力学意义

利用有限元方法,计算了不同俯冲速度及热传导系数俯冲岩石层的负浮力.在h-lt;400km和h-gt;740km的深度范围,低温高密俯冲带的负浮力随深度单调增加.因为尖晶石相到后尖晶石相的相变有负的克兰帕龙斜率,俯冲带冷的物质在660km间断面以下不到100km的深度范围内仍以低密度的低压物质相存在.所以在该深度范围,俯冲带受到了周围地幔阻止其插入下地幔的浮力作用.在400km-lt;h-lt;660km深度范围,由于受橄榄石相变的影响,不同计算模型负浮力随深度的变化有明显的不同.对于可能的相变动力学模型,亚稳态橄榄石的存在使负浮力随深度的增加值减小.其作用是不利于俯冲带直接穿透660km间断面,并引起该深度范围俯冲带沿俯冲方向压应力分布的变化.     

Receiver function study in northern Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula

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

The distribution of earthquakes with depth and stress in subducting slabs

We explain the global variation of Benioff zone seismicity with depth and the orientation of stress axes of deep and intermediate earthquakes using numerical models of subducting slabs. Models that match the seismicity and stress require a barrier to flow at the 670 km seismic discontinuity. The barrier may be a viscosity increase of at least an order of magnitude or a chemical discontinuity. Instantaneous flow is subparallel to the slabs for models with a viscosity increase but contorted for models with a chemical barrier. Log N (number of earthquakes) decreases linearly to 250–300 km depth and increases thereafter. Stress magnitude in our models shows the same pattern, in accord with experiments showing N proportional to e^kσ, with k a constant and σ stress magnitude. The models predict downdip compression in the slabs at depths below 300–400 km, as observed for earthquake stress axes.     

Determination of focal depth by two waveformbased methods: A case study for the 2008Panzhihua earthquake

With the 2008 M_S6.1 Panzhihua earthquake as a case study, we demonstrate that the focal depth of the main shock can be well constrained with two approaches: (1) using the depth phase sPL and (2) using full waveform inversion of local and teleseismic data. We also show that focal depths can be well constrained using the depth phase sPL with single broadband seismic station. Our study indicates that the main shock is located at a depth of 11 km, much shallower than those from other studies, confirming that the earthquake occurs in upper crust. Aftershocks are located in the depth range of 11-16 km, which is consistent with a ruptured near vertical fault whose width is about 10 km, as expected for an M_S6.1 earthquake.     

Thermal Structure of the Ionian Slab

We propose a thermal model of the subducting Ionian microplate. The slab sinks in an isothermal mantle, and for the boundary conditions we take into account the relation between the maximum depth of seismicity and the thermal parameter L_th of the slab, which is a product of the age of the subducted lithosphere and the vertical component of the convergence rate. The surface heat-flux dataset of the Ionian Sea is reviewed, and a convective geotherm is calculated in its undeformed part for a surface heat flux of 42 mW m^–2, an adiabatic gradient of 0.6 mK m^–1, a mantle kinematic viscosity of 10¹⁷ m² s^–1 and an asthenosphere potential temperature of 1300°C. The calculated temperature-depth distribution compared to the mantle melting temperature indicates the decoupling limit between lithosphere and asthenosphere occurs at a depth of 105 km and a temperature of 1260°C. A 70–km thick mechanical boundary layer is found. By considering that the maximum depth of the seismic events within the slab is 600 km, a L_th of 4725 km is inferred. For a subduction rate equal to the spreading rate, the corresponding assimilation and cooling times of the microplate are about 7 and 90 Myr, respectively. The thermal model assumes that the mantle flow above the slab is parallel and equal to the subducting plate velocity of 6 cm yr^–1, and ignores the heat conduction down the slab dip. The critical temperature, above which the subduced lithosphere cannot sustain the stress necessary to produce seismicity, is determined from the thermal conditions governing the rheology of the plate. The minimum potential temperature at the depth of the deepest earthquake in the slab is 730°C.     

The mantle convection model with non-Newtonian rheology and phase transitions: The flow structure and stress fields

The mantle convection model with phase transitions, non-Newtonian viscosity, and internal heat sources is calculated for two-dimensional (2D) Cartesian geometry. The temperature dependence of viscosity is described by the Arrhenius law with a viscosity step of 50 at the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. The viscosity in the model ranges within 4.5 orders of magnitude. The use of the non-Newtonian rheology enabled us to model the processes of softening in the zone of bending and subduction of the oceanic plates. The yield stress in the model is assumed to be 50 MPa. Based on the obtained model, the structure of the mantle flows and the spatial fields of the stresses σ_xz and σ_xx in the Earth’s mantle are studied. The model demonstrates a stepwise migration of the subduction zones and reveals the sharp changes in the stress fields depending on the stage of the slab detachment. In contrast to the previous model (Bobrov and Baranov, 2014), the self-consistent appearance of the rigid moving lithospheric plates on the surface is observed. Here, the intense flows in the upper mantle cause the drift and bending of the top segments of the slabs and the displacement of the plumes. It is established that when the upwelling plume intersects the boundary between the lower and upper mantle, it assumes a characteristic two-level structure: in the upper mantle, the ascending jet of the mantle material gets thinner, whereas its velocity increases. This effect is caused by the jump in the viscosity at the boundary and is enhanced by the effect of the endothermic phase boundary which impedes the penetration of the plume material from the lower mantle to the upper mantle. The values and distribution of the shear stresses σ_xz and superlithostatic horizontal stresses σ_xx are calculated. In the model area of the subducting slabs the stresses are 60–80 MPa, which is by about an order of magnitude higher than in the other mantle regions. The character of the stress fields in the transition region of the phase boundaries and viscosity step by the plumes and slabs is analyzed. It is established that the viscosity step and endothermic phase boundary at a depth of 660 km induce heterogeneities in the stress fields at the upper/lower mantle boundary. With the assumed model parameters, the exothermic phase transition at 410 km barely affects the stress fields. The slab regions manifest themselves in the stress fields much stronger than the plume regions. This numerically demonstrates that it is the slabs, not the plumes that are the main drivers of the convection. The plumes partly drive the convection and are partly passively involved into the convection stirred by the sinking slabs.     

Application of rock creep experiment in calculating the viscoelastic parameters of earth medium

The viscosity of earth medium can explain many geophysical phenomena. The uplifting velocity of Ti- betan Plateau may be caused by extrusion of the low viscosity channel in middle and lower crust[1]. The post-deformation after earthquake also relates to the rheology of earth medium[2]. The aftershock sequence is considered a process of strain release after stress dropped[3]. There are two kinds of models in the study of rheological character of crustal medium, elastoplas- only when the forced…     

A crust-mantle model for the NORSAR area

Summary Elastic waves from explosions were recorded at NORSAR and at a number of field stations, and the data were used for determining a crust-mantle model under the array. The number of explosions was eleven distributed on seven shot points. The total number of recording points was fifty-one, and the interpretation was based on 350 individual records.The velocities obtained for the crustal phases were 6.2, 6.6 and 8.2 km/sec for theP _g ,P _g andP _n waves respectively. A deep crustal phase with a velocity of about 7.4 km/sec was observed. The mean depths to the discontinuities within the crust were determined to be 17 and 26 km. The depth to Moho varied greatly across the array from 31.5 km in the central part to 38 km under the C-ring. The maximum dip observed for the Moho was 12^o.Contribution No. 57 to Norwegian Geotraverse Project.     

Relation of mantle conductivity to physical conditions in the asthenosphere

Magnetotelluric soundings show that the conductivity increases in the asthenosphere. The depth of this conductivity zone decreases with an increase of the surface heat flow, i.e. in such cases the lithospheric plate is thinner. The depth of the velocity decrease of seismic shear wave (S waves) shows the same connection with the surface heat flow. The solidus of a mixed-volatile medium intersects the temperature curves belonging to different surface heat flows at depths where the conductivity increase and the velocity decrease appear. These connections point to partial melting in the asthenosphere, which can decrease the viscosity too, and help the movement of the lithospheric plates according to the ideas of global tectonics.The melt fraction of peridotite and pyrolite determined by Shankland and Waff from the effective conductivity of the asthenosphere is about 3–4% at 30 kbar and ato ^*=0.1 S m^–1.In the upper mantle of old shields it is likely that there is no well-developed asthenosphere due to the low temperature. Over these so-called viscous anchors the lithospheric plates do not move. It is supposed that the conductivity increases observed below crystalline shields at a depth of about 300 km indicate the phase transition of rocks. Thus in these areas the surface of the phase transition can be at a higher position than in the younger tectonic units.     

Crustal phases in earthquake location

For crustal earthquakes of moderate or large size, the first reported phases at distant stations are usually the first predicted by the crustal model used. For smaller events, however, or for stations at larger distances, the first phase detected is often a later crustal phase of larger amplitude. This may be eitherPg which travels entirely in the upper crustal layer with a velocity of about 5.6 km/s, orP ^* with a path mainly in the lower crustal layer at a velocity of about 6.7 km/s. Many earthquake location programs do not take account of these phases, and treat their arrivals as if they were the earlier phasePn. At the International Seismological Centre we re-identify up to 200 crustal phases each month. This often results in significant improvement in position, the direct determination of depth or even the obtaining of a formal solution where none was possible before. We find that these re-identifications are needed in most continental areas of the world, and that the original crustal model of Jeffreys and Bullen still remains a useful standard.On leave from the Seismological Laboratory, Institute for Earth Physics, P. O. Box MG-2, 76900 Bucharest-Magurele, Romania