SUMMARY
More accurate crustal structure models will help us to better understand the tectonic convergence between Arabian and Eurasian plates in the Iran plateau. In this study, the crustal and uppermost mantle velocity structure of the Iran plateau is investigated using ambient noise tomography. Three years of continuous data are correlated to retrieve Rayleigh wave empirical Green's functions, and phase velocity dispersion curves are extracted using the spectral method. High-resolution Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps are presented at periods of 8–60 s. The tomographic maps show a clear consistency with geological structures such as sedimentary basins and seismotectonic zones, especially at short periods. A quasi-3-D shear wave velocity model is determined from the surface down to 100 km beneath the Iran plateau. A transect of the shear wave velocity model has been considered along with a profile extending across the southern Zagros, the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SSZ), the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) and Central Iran and Kopeh-Dagh (KD). Obvious crustal thinning and thickening are observable along the transect of the shear wave velocity model beneath Central Iran and the SSZ, respectively. The observed shear wave velocities beneath the Iran plateau, specifically Central Iran, support the slab break-off idea in which low density asthenospheric materials drive towards the upper layers, replacing materials in the subcrustal lithosphere.
Upper crustal structure of Madeira Island revealed from ambient noise tomography
