Anomalous travel times of teleseismic P-waves reflected under Arctic marine areas

The travel-time residuals of teleseismic PP waves can indicate velocity anomalies near the reflection points. Deep structure can thus be inferred in areas which are not well observed by conventional techniques. In this paper, published data are used to examine parts of the Arctic Ocean, the adjacent shelves and Greenland.Late reflections occur under part of the Alpha Ridge, and the Lomonosov Ridge near the North Pole, and early reflections tend to occur under much of the Nansen spreading ridge. It is suggested that a hotter than normal region underlies a section of the Lomonosov Ridge, while extensive mantle upwelling does not appear to occur directly under the Nansen Ridge, which may be a passive spreading center. A zone of very late reflections occupies much of the East Siberian Shelf. This may be due to intrusion of the asthenosphere into lithospheric sutures or thickening of the asthenosphere. travel-time delays under the rest of the Eurasian shelf are consistent with the known structure of the area. Late reflections in east Greenland and Baffin Bay could be due to Tertiary hot spot activity in these locations.