Lowermost mantle anisotropy beneath the Pacific: Imaging the source of the Hawaiian plume

We utilized recordings of seismic shear phases provided by several North American broadband seismometer arrays to provide unique constraints on shear wave anisotropy beneath the northern and central Pacific Ocean. Using a new analysis method that reduces measurement errors and enables the analysis of a larger number of available waveforms, we examined relative travel times of teleseismic S and Sdiff that sample a large area of lowermost mantle structure. The results of this study provide evidence for small-scale lateral and depth variations in shear wave anisotropy for a broad region of the lowermost mantle beneath the Pacific Ocean. In particular, we image a localized zone of anomalously strong anisotropy whose strength increases toward the top of D″ beneath Hawaii. Our results, combined with a previous study of V_P/V_SH ratios, indicate that ancient subducted slab material may be responsible for observations beneath the northern Pacific, while lenses or layers of core–mantle boundary reaction products or partial melt, oriented by horizontal inflow of mantle material to the Hawaiian plume source, can explain observations beneath the central Pacific.     

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.     

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.     

Upper mantle seismic anisotropy beneath a convergent boundary: SKS waveform modeling in central Tibet

This study used SKS waveforms from the International Deep Profiling of Tibet and the Himalayas (INDEPTH) III dataset and a new 2D method for modeling seismic waves in anisotropic media to construct an image of anisotropic structures beneath central Tibet. A preferred model revealed three-segment anisotropic structures in the upper mantle beneath the study region. Waveform modeling demonstrated that the anisotropy was mainly generated by the lithosphere but not the asthenosphere, and that an anisotropic model with a flatter axis of symmetry provides a more consistent interpretation of the observations than models having steeply dipping symmetry axes. A relatively low velocity zone may underlie or intermingle with the anisotropic structures in the northern portion of the region. Synthetic tests also indicate that variations in the elastic constants and depth extent of the anisotropy assumed by the calculations do not affect the general conclusions, although trade-offs exist among certain model parameters. The modeling results suggest that the complex seismic structures in central Tibet were associated with underthrusting of the Indian lithosphere beneath the Asian lithosphere; the inferred flat symmetry axis of the anisotropy was likely generated during this collision process. If this were not the case, the inherited anisotropy would exhibit a steeply dipping axis of symmetry, parallel to the direction of underthrusting.     

太行山构造带壳幔结构分段性特征

分别利用纯S波波形反演和T函数法计算了太行山构造带及其邻近地区100km以上的壳幔剪切波速度结构,结果显示太行山构造带在南、中、北段的壳幔结构存在明显差异。南段邢台邯郸地区地壳中比较突出的特点是下地壳存在一个厚度近10km的低速层;中段石家庄—保定地区靠近山脉的各台地壳结构相对比较稳定,越向盆地区发展,结构愈加复杂化;北段到达北京地区,由于该区是太行山与燕山构造带的交汇地区,中下地壳出现薄高低速转换层位,呈现不稳定状态。沿太行山构造带东缘是地震活动带-河北平原地震带,通过对比速度结构与地震空间分布,发现不同区段小震分布特点与地下低速或不稳定结构关系密切。结合该区域上地幔速度结构特征,认为太行山中段与华北地区中新生代以来的岩石圈大规模减薄运动关系密切,而南北两段当前地幔物质比较活跃,构造运动相对更为强烈。     

3-D velocity structure beneath the crust and upper mantle of Aegean Sea region

The region of the Aegean Sea and the surrounding areas in the Eastern Mediterranean lies on the boundary zone between the Eurasian and the African plates. It is a zone of widespread extensive deformation and, therefore, reveals a high level of seismicity.Three-dimensional velocity structure, beneath the crust and upper mantle of the region between 33.0°N–43.0°N and 18.0°E–30.6°E, is determined.The data used are arrival times ofP-waves from 166 earthquakes, recorded at 62 seismological stations. In total, 3973 residual data are inverted.The resultant structure reveals a remarkable contrast of velocity. In the top crustal layer, low velocities are dominant in Western Turkey and on the Greek mainland, while a high velocity zone is dominant in the Ionian Sea and in the southern Aegean Sea.In the upper mantle, high velocity zones dominate along the Hellenic arc, corresponding to the subducting African plate and in the northern part of the region, corresponding to the subducting African plate and in the northern part of the region, corresponding to the margin of Eurasian plate.A low velocity zone is dominant in the Aegean Sea region, where large-scale extension and volcanic activity are predominant, associated with the subduction of the African plate.     

Seismic anisotropy beneath Southern Tibet

ＳｅｉｓｍｉｃａｎｉｓｏｔｒｏｐｙｂｅｎｅａｔｈＳｏｕｔｈｅｒｎＴｉｂｅｔＱＩＮＧ－ＴＩＡＮＬＵＩ（吕庆田），ＫＡＩ－ＹＩＭＡ（马开义），ＭＥＩＪＩＡＮＧ＇（姜枚），Ａ．ＨｉｒｎａｎｄＡ．Ｎｅｒｃｅｓｓｉａｎ（ＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＭｉｎｅｒａｌＤｅ...     

汶川地震区地壳上地幔三维S波速度结构初步研究

2008年5月12日汶川MW7.9地震发生在龙门山断裂带。龙门山断裂带及其邻域的地壳上地幔三维速度结构的研究对于理解汶川大地震的动力学背景具有重要的意义。2006年10月至2009年10月,在国家重大基础研究项目(973)的支持下,中国地震局地质研究所地震动力学国家重点实验室在川西地区(26°~32°N,100°~105°E)布设了由297台宽频带数字地震仪组成的流动观测台阵(简称川西台阵)。根据川西台阵记录的环境噪声和远震波形数据,利用噪声成像技术和接收函数方法,我们研究了川西地区(29°~32°N,100°~105°E)地壳上地幔100km深度范围内的三维S波速度结构。本文得到的结果为研究川西高原和四川盆地的地壳结构提供了新的高分辨率观测证据。我们的结果表明:1)观测台阵覆盖的川滇地块、松潘-甘孜地块和四川盆地的地壳上地幔S波速度结构具有显着差异,龙门山断裂和鲜水河断裂带,作为地块间的边界断裂带,对两侧地壳结构具有明显的控制作用。2)观测台阵覆盖区域的地壳厚度存在明显差异,川滇地块的地壳厚度为60~64km,松潘-甘孜地块的地壳厚度为52~56km,四川盆地前陆的地壳厚度为46~52km,沿龙门山断裂带松潘-甘孜地块和四川盆地形成镶嵌结构,汶川地震震中处南北两侧的壳幔边界存在约6km的断错。3)四川盆地前陆低速特征表明相应区域存在厚度8~10km的沉积盖层,松潘-甘孜地块和川滇地块的中下地壳具有大面积分布的S波低速区,松潘-甘孜地块地壳平均泊松比高达0.29~0.31,汶川地震余震绝大多数分布在低速区上方的高速介质区域内,而四川盆地的中下地壳呈现整体性的高速特征,以汶川地震的震中为界,龙门山断裂带北段和南段的S波速度结构显示了明显的速度分段特征,其北段的S波速度总体上高于南段。4)本文给出的研究区地壳三维S波速度结构表明,川西高原中下地壳较为软弱,而四川盆地中下地壳的强度应明显高于松潘-甘孜地块,意味着四川盆地坚硬中下地壳可以阻挡松潘-甘孜地块向东的逃逸;另一方面,川西高原和川滇地块的中下地壳虽然均存在大面积的S波低速区,但松潘-甘孜地块内的地壳速度结构相对来说较为复杂,并形成了高、低速相间的结构特征,表明在四川盆地的阻挡作用下,该地块形成了折皱变形的结构。5)与S波低速区相应,松潘-甘孜地块和川滇地块中下地壳应处于部分熔融的状态,这对该区域存在中下地壳通道流(Channelflow)的推断是一个支持;但是,松潘-甘孜地块内是否存在中下地壳通道流仍有待进一步的深入研究。6)接收函数方位各向异性的偏振分析表明,以汶川地震震中为界,龙门山断裂西南侧处于挤压状态,而其东北侧的主压应力方向与断层走向大体平行,推断先存应力场可能驱动了汶川地震逆冲破裂之后沿龙门山断裂向北东方向的走滑破裂。     

The P and S wave velocity structures of the crust and upper mantle beneath Tibetan Plateau

Using the P-and S-wave arrivals from the 150 earthquakes distributed in Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring areas, recorded by Tibetan seismic network, Sichuan seismic network, WWSSN and the mobile network situated in Tibetan Plateau, we have obtained the average P-and S-wave velocity models of the crust and upper mantle for this region:

Simultaneous inversion for 3-D variations in shear and bulk velocity in the mantle

Until recently, most of the seismic tomographic modeling has been addressing the question of lateral heterogeneity either in P- or S-wave velocities. The S-wave velocity variations are larger and hence provide stronger signal on long-period waveforms. The direct P travel times, being the first arrivals, on the other hand, are most frequently reported in the International Seismological Centre (ISC) Bulletins. In mineral physics experiments, the variation in bulk velocity is more often measured. To better understand the differences between δv_P and δv_P patterns and better link the results from mineral physics to those of seismic tomography, we formulate the inverse problem in terms of relative perturbations in the shear velocity v_S = (μ/)^1/2 and bulk sound velocity v_Φ = (K/)^1/2. We use a large data set which consists of waveforms, waveform-derived travel times and travel times from the ISC Bulletins. The earthquakes are relocated using corrections for lateral heterogeneity. The events which cannot be reliably determined are discarded. The model is defined as spherical harmonics to Degree 12 horizontally and as Chebyshev polynomials to order 13 radially, for both shear and bulk sound velocity. The inversion is performed under smoothness constraint. The resolution tests and bootstrapping analysis indicate that the model is well recovered, particularly at long wavelength.

The results indicate a much larger variability of shear than bulk sound velocity. The model explains observations well. The most intriguing result obtained in this study is that the variations in shear velocity and bulk sound velocity are negatively correlated in the lowermost mantle. The explanation is not very clear. From the mineral physics point of view, it is not unlikely that this could be explained in terms of thermal variation, even though we are unwilling to rule out the possibility of large wavelength compositional variations.     

Anomalous upper mantle beneath the Australian-Antarctic discordance

Within the Australian-Antarctic discordant zone, residual depth anomalies approach 1000 m. In sea floor younger than 10 Ma that is more than 500 m deeper than expected, Rayleigh wave phase velocities are significantly faster than in sea floor of comparable age in the Pacific. In this area, the shear wave velocity in the 20–40 km depth range is unusually fast, indicating that the lithosphere develops more rapidly than usual from an asthenosphere that is perhaps cooler than average. In sea floor that is older than 10 Ma, phase velocities are anomalously fast and independent of the residual depth. Beneath this older sea floor, the low-velocity zone in the oceanic mantle is much less pronounced than beneath sea floor of comparable age in the Pacific.     

Upper mantle anisotropy of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis and surrounding regions from shear wave splitting analysis

Polarization analysis of teleseismic data has been used to determine the XKS(SKS,SKKS,and PKS)fast polarization directions and delay times between fast and slow shear waves for 59 seismic stations of both temporary and permanent broadband seismograph networks deployed in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis(EHS)and surrounding regions.The analysis employed both the grid searching method of the minimum tangential energy and stacking analysis methods to develop an image of upper mantle anisotropy in the EHS and surrounding regions using the newly obtained shear wave splitting parameters and previously published results.The fast polarization directions are oriented along a NE-SW azimuth in the EHS.However,within the surrounding regions,the fast directions show a clockwise rotation pattern around the EHS from NE-SW,to E-W,to NW-SE,and then to N-S.In the EHS and surrounding regions,the fast directions of seismic anisotropy determined using shear wave splitting analysis correlate with surficial geological features including major sutures and faults and with the surface deformation fields derived from global positioning system(GPS)data.The coincidence between structural features in the crust,surface deformation fields and mantle anisotropy suggests that the deformation in the crust and lithospheric mantle is mechanically coupled.In the EHS,the coherence between the fast directions and the NE direction of the subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Tibetan Plateau suggests that the lithospheric deformation is caused mainly by subduction.In the regions surrounding the EHS,we speculate that a westward retreat of the Burma slab could contribute to the curved anisotropy pattern.The Tibetan Plateau is acted upon by a NE-trending force due to the subduction of the Indian Plate,and also affected by a westward drag force due to the westward retreat produced by the eastward subduction of the Burma slab.The two forces contribute to a curved lithospheric deformation that results in the alignment of the upper mantle peridotite lattice parallel to the deformation direction,and thus generates a curved pattern of fast directions around the EHS.     

Earth mantle conductivity beneath the Ukrainian territory

Studia Geophysica et Geodaetica - Magnetovariation methods, which are applicable to study the mantle conductivity, require long lasting registration of natural magnetic field variations. Such data...     

3-D velocity structure of P wave in the upper mantle beneath southwestern China and its adjacent areas

IntroductionSouthwestern China and its adjacent areas studied in the paper is the range of 10(N-36(N, 70(E-110(E, which includes southwestern areas of China (Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi Provinces, southwestern Shaanxi Province and so on), India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia countries and oceanic areas of Bay of Bengal and Beibu Gulf. The collision and extrusion of India plate and Eurasia plate makes the geological tectonic complex in this area (Figure 1…     

Nature of heterogeneity of the upper mantle beneath the northern Philippine Sea as inferred from attenuation and velocity tomography

We investigated the physical properties in the upper mantle beneath the Philippine Sea using a theoretical relation derived by Karato [Mapping water content in the upper mantle. Subduction factory, AGU Monograph, in press]. From the attenuation model of Shito and Shibutani [Phys. Earth Planet. Interact., in press] and the velocity model of Widiyantoro et al. [Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 173 (1999) 91], observed attenuation and velocity anomalies were evaluated to explain the temperature, water content, and chemical heterogeneities in the target area. The results indicate that the observed anomalies in the shallower regions (50–200 km) may be due to chemical composition effects (e.g., concentration of iron), in addition to the temperature and water content anomalies. In contrast, for the deep upper mantle (300–400 km), the observations can be explained by only the effects of high water content (10–50 times higher than the average mantle). These inferred properties of the mantle are consistent with the tectonic history of the Philippine Sea region, which has had a long history of subduction and active magmatism.     

The crust and upper mantle structure beneath southeastern China

We analyzed teleseismic waveforms recorded by 44 stations in the Fujian and Taiwan provinces of China and obtained 5344 high quality receiver functions. The crustal thickness (H) and average crustal V_P/V_S ratio (k) beneath every station were estimated using the H–k stacking method. Crustal thicknesses near the Fujian Province range from 28.3 to 32.8 km with an average of 31.1 km, and the corresponding V_P/V_S ratios vary from 1.70 to 1.84 with a mean of 1.76. From inland to offshore of the Fujian Province, the crustal thicknesses decrease and Poisson's ratios increase. These may indicate decreasing SiO₂ and increasing calc-alkaline contents in the crust. The discontinuity structures such as the Moho, subducting slab, the 410- and 660-km discontinuities (hereafter we call them the 410 and the 660) are also studied using common converted point (CCP) stacking of receiver functions. Along two NW–SE lines of central and northern Taiwan, the CCP stacking results show a western dipping structure at depths above 50 km, suggesting that the Philippine Sea plate is probably subducting beneath the Eurasian continent plate near the central and northern Taiwan. The CCP stacking results show sharp and flat 410- and 660-km discontinuities, and the transition zone thickness (TZT) is the same as that of ambient mantle beneath Fujian and Taiwan Strait, but thickens in the east of Taiwan. These results suggest that (1) the subducting Eurasian continent plate is confined to the depths above 410 km beneath Fujian and Taiwan Strait; and (2) the South China Sea slab may reach the transition zone beneath the east of Taiwan.     

The upper mantle flow beneath the North China Platform

In this paper we establish an upper mantle convection model which is constrained by regional isostatic gravity anomalies. Comparing the computed convection patterns with the tectonic features of the North China Platform we find that there are two positive anomaly centers connected with upward flows. These anomalies belong to the tectonic units of the Shan-Xi geoanticline and the Lu-Xi geoanticline. The centers of downward flows are connected with the tectonic units of the Liao-Ji geosyncline. It is reasonable to suggest that the upward mantle flows push the lithosphere upward and generate the observed positive isostatic gravity anomaly. The downward mantle flows pull the lithosphere down and generate the negative anomaly. However, the use of simple analysis makes it difficult to explain the complex lithospheric dynamics of this region. In order to understand lithospheric structures and tectonic features we must investigate the mechanical properties of the lithosphere and the relationship between the lithosphere and the mantle. These problems are discussed in the last section of this paper.     

The longevity of subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath Jiangsu-Anhui Region

The basalt-borne peridotite xenoliths from Jiangsu-Anhui provinces were analyzed for whole rock Os isotopic compositions in two laboratories of USTC, China and CRPG, France, respectively. The¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio of the sample set ranges from 0.119 to 0.129 (25 samples, USTC) and from 0.117 to 0.131 (17 samples, CRPG). The Os isotopic compositions of most samples are less than 0.129 and depleted relatively to the primitive mantle, showing a good correlation with the major element compositions. With the¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os-Al₂O₃ alumichron, the samples yield a model age of 2.5 ± 0.1 Ga (data of USTC) and 1.9 ± 0.1 Ga (data of CRPG), late Archean to early Pro-terozoic. The two samples with the lowest¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio (0.119 and 0.117) have the T_RD (Re depleted age) of 1.1 Ga (USTC) and 1.4 Ga (CRPG), mid-Proterozoic. The Os isotope model age shows that the peridotite xenoliths from Cenozoic alkali basalt in Jiangsu-Anhui provinces have an old formation age (early- to mid- Proterozoic). They are not newly produced mantle after the Phanerozoic replacement of the lithosphere mantle, but residual fractions of Proterozoic mantle.