Relative teleseismic travel-time residuals, North Island, New Zealand, and their relation to upper-mantle structure

Relative travel-time residuals computed from clear P-wave arrivals at fourteen seismograph stations in the North Island, New Zealand, from five deep-focus events in the Banda Sea region, show large spatial variations of up to 3 sec. The variations can be explained by higher than normal velocities in the oceanic lithosphere which is underthrust to depths of 350 km beneath the North Island. After correction for crustal structure, the residuals imply an average P-wave velocity about 11% higher than in the surrounding mantle. The lack of suitable source events at azimuths other than northwest prevents a more detailed investigation by this means.