Negative Velocity Gradients in the uppermost Mantle below the larger Alpine Area

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Kind ◽  
Stefan Schmid ◽  
Xiaohui Yuan ◽  
Alparray Working Group
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Function ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Uppermost Mantle ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Controlled Source ◽  
Velocity Gradients ◽  
Alpine Area ◽  
Teleseismic Data ◽  
Additional Constraints

<p>In the frame of the Alparray project we analyse teleseismic data from permanent and temporary stations of the greater Alpine area to study the structure of the crust and the uppermost mantle. We use S-to-p and P-to-s converted waves below the seismic stations which are aligned along the arrival times of the generating P and SV signals. The broadband data used are unfiltered, amplitude normalized and sign corrected. Profiles of migrated data are constructed through the entire Alpine area and compared with results of tomographic, controlled-source and receiver function studies. Thereby we provide additional constraints regarding the ongoing controversies regarding the configuration of the various slabs whose existence was postulated by previous authors within the larger Alpine area including the Western Carpathians. Special attention is given to the possibility of a reversal of subduction polarity in the eastern Alps.</p>

The seismic structure of the lithosphere in the greater Alpine area from S-to-P converted waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Kind ◽  
Stefan Schmid ◽  
Xiaohui Yuan ◽  
Ben Heit
Keyword(s):  
Pannonian Basin ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Seismic Structure ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Tauern Window ◽  
Lateral Extrusion ◽  
Alpine Area ◽  
Teleseismic Data ◽  
Nappe Emplacement ◽  
Eastern Edge

<p>In the frame of the AlpArray project we analyse teleseismic data from permanent and temporary stations of the greater Alpine region to study seismic discontinuities in the entire lithosphere. We use broadband S-to-P converted signals from below the seismic stations. In order to avoid sidelobes, no deconvolution or filtering is applied and S arrival times are used as reference. We show a number of north-south and east-west profiles through the greater Alpine area. The Moho signals are always seen very clearly, and also negative velocity gradients below the Moho are visible in a number of profiles. The subducting European Moho is visible in the Eastern Alps west of 13.5°E (the eastern edge of the Tauern Window) and reaches there about 60km depth at 47°N. East of about 13.5°E, the image of the Moho changes completely. No south dipping European Moho is found anymore, instead the Moho is shallowing towards the Pannonian Basin. This suggests severe post-nappe emplacement modifications east of about 13.5°E, most probably associated with delamination of the mantle lithosphere within the formerly subducting European slab, i.e. mantle that separated from the crustal parts of the Alpine-West Carpathian orogen during the last ca. 20 Ma when the Pannonian basin formed and the ALCAPA block underwent its E-directed lateral extrusion.</p><p>Ratschbacher, L., Frisch, W., Linzer, H.-G. and Merle, O. (1991) Lateral extrusion in the Eastern Alps, Part 2: Structural analysis. Tectonics, vol.10, No.2, 257-271.</p>

scholarly journals Moho and uppermost mantle structure in the greater Alpine area from S-to-P converted waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Kind ◽  
Stefan M. Schmid ◽  
Xiaohui Yuan ◽  
Ben Heit ◽  
Thomas Meier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pannonian Basin ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Mantle Structure ◽  
Uppermost Mantle ◽  
Waveform Data ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Tauern Window ◽  
Lateral Extrusion ◽  
Alpine Area ◽  
Teleseismic Data

Abstract. In the frame of the AlpArray project we analyze teleseismic data from permanent and temporary stations of the greater Alpine region to study seismic discontinuities down to about 140 km depth. We average broadband teleseismic S waveform data to retrieve S-to-P converted signals from below the seismic stations. In order to avoid processing artefacts, no deconvolution or filtering is applied and S arrival times are used as reference. We show a number of north-south and east-west profiles through the greater Alpine area. The Moho signals are always seen very clearly, and also negative velocity gradients below the Moho are visible in a number of profiles. A Moho depression is visible along larger parts of the Alpine chain. It reaches its largest depth of 60 km beneath the Tauern Window. The Moho depression ends however abruptly near about 13° E below the eastern Tauern Window. The Moho depression may represent the mantle trench, where the Eurasian lithosphere is subducted below the Adriatic lithosphere. East of 13° E an important along-strike change occurs; the image of the Moho changes completely. No Moho deepening is found in this easterly region; instead the Moho is updoming along the contact between the European and the Adriatic lithosphere all the way into the Pannonian Basin. An important along strike change was also detected in the upper mantle structure at about 14° E. There, the lateral disappearance of a zone of negative P-wave velocity gradient indicates that the S-dipping European slab laterally terminates east of the Tauern Window in the axial zone of the Alps. The area east of about 13° E is known to have been affected by severe late-stage modifications of the structure of crust and uppermost mantle during the Miocene when the ALCAPA (Alpine, Carpathian, Pannonian) block was subject to E-directed lateral extrusion.

Crustal seismic structure beneath the Garhwal Himalaya using regional and teleseismic waveform modelling

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (3) ◽  
pp. 2040-2052
Author(s):  
Nagaraju Kanna ◽  
Sandeep Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Function ◽  
Garhwal Himalaya ◽  
Moho Depth ◽  
Seismic Structure ◽  
Uppermost Mantle ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Function Modelling ◽  
Partial Melts ◽  
Lower Crustal

SUMMARY We investigate the crustal seismic structure of the Garhwal Himalayan region using regional and teleseismic earthquake waveforms, recorded over 19 closely spaced broad-band seismic stations along a linear profile that traverses from the Sub Himalayas to Higher Himalayas. The regional earthquake traveltime analysis provides uppermost mantle P- and S-wave velocities as 8.2 and 4.5 km s−1, respectively. The calculated receiver functions from the teleseismic P waveforms show apparent P-to-S conversions from the Moho as well as from intracrustal depths, at most of the seismic stations. These conversions also show significant azimuthal variations across the Himalayas, indicating complex crustal structure across the Garhwal Himalaya. We constrain the receiver function modelling using the calculated uppermost mantle (Pn and Sn) velocities. Common conversion point stacking image of P-to-S conversions as well as receiver function modelling results show a prominent intracrustal low shear velocity layer with a flat–ramp–flat geometry beneath the Main Central Thrust zone. This low velocity indicates the possible presence of partial melts/fluids in the intracrustal depths beneath the Garhwal Himalaya. We correlate the inferred intracrustal partial melts/fluids with the local seismicity and suggest that the intracrustal fluids are one of the possible reasons for the occurrence of upper-to-mid-crustal earthquakes in this area. The results further show that the Moho depth varies from ∼45 km beneath the Sub Himalayas to ∼58 km to the south of the Tethys Himalayas. The calculated lower crustal shear wave velocities of ∼3.9 and 4.3 km s−1 beneath the Lesser and Higher Himalayas suggest the presence of granulite and partially eclogite rocks in the lower crust below the Lesser and Higher Himalayas, respectively. We also suggest that the inferred lower crustal rocks are the possible reasons for the presence and absence of the lower crustal seismicity beneath the Lesser and Higher Himalayas, respectively.

Heterogeneity of the Uppermost Mantle Inferred From Controlled-Source Seismology

2003 ◽  
pp. 281-297
Author(s):  
Marc Tittgemeyer ◽  
Trond Ryberg ◽  
Friedemann Wenzel ◽  
Karl Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Uppermost Mantle ◽  
Controlled Source

scholarly journals Isochronal maps at Mt. Etna volcano (Italy): a simple and reliable tool for investigating large-scale heterogeneities

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Patanè ◽  
C. Centamore ◽  
S. La Delfa
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Volcanic Edifice ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Etna Volcano ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
Mt Etna ◽  
Wave Arrival ◽  
Feeding Systems

This paper analyses twelve etnean earthquakes which occurred at various depths and recorded at least by eleven stations. The seismic stations span a wide part of the volcanic edifice; therefore each set of direct P-wave arrival times at these stations can be considered appropriate for tracing isochronal curves. Using this simple methodology and the results obtained by previous studies the authors make a reconstruction of the geometry of the bodies inside the crust beneath Mt. Etna. These bodies are interpreted as a set of cooled magmatic masses, delimited by low-velocity discontinuities which can be considered, at present, the major feeding systems of the volcano.

Striking differences in lithospheric structure between the north- and south-western Alps: insights from receiver functions along the Cifalps profiles and a new Vs model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Paul ◽  
Ahmed Nouibat ◽  
Liang Zhao ◽  
Stefano Solarino ◽  
Stéphane Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Function ◽  
Negative Polarity ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Lithospheric Structure ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Continental Subduction ◽  
The North ◽  
Ligurian Alps ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Converted Waves

<p>The CIFALPS receiver-function (RF) profile in the southwestern Alps provided the first seismological evidence of continental subduction in the Alps, with the detection of waves converted on the European Moho at 75-80 km depth beneath the western edge of the Po basin (Zhao et al., 2015). To complement the CIFALPS profile and enhance our knowledge of the lithospheric structure of the Western Alps, we installed CIFALPS2, a temporary network of 55 broadband seismic stations that operated for ~14 months (2018-2019) across the North-Western Alps (Zhao et al., 2018). The CIFALPS2 line runs from the Eastern Massif Central to the Ligurian coast, across the Mont-Blanc and Gran Paradiso massifs and the Ligurian Alps. Seismic stations were installed along a quasi-linear profile with a spacing of 7-10 km.</p><p>We will show 2 receiver-function CCP (common-conversion point) depth-migrated sections along the CIFALPS2 profile, the first one across the Alps, and the second one across the Ligurian Alps and the Po basin. The time-to-depth migration of RF data is based on the new 3-D Vs model of the Greater Alpine region derived by Nouibat et al. (2021) using transdimensional ambient noise tomography on a large dataset including the AlpArray seismic network. Depth sections across the Vs model are also useful for interpreting the RF CCP sections as they have striking similarities.</p><p>The images of the lithospheric structure of the NW Alps along CIFALPS2 are surprisingly different from those of the SW Alps along CIFALPS. The deepest P-to-S converted phases on the European Moho are detected at 60-65 km depth beneath the Ivrea-Verbano zone, that is 15 km less than on CIFALPS. The negative polarity converted phase interpreted as the base of the Ivrea body mantle flake on the CIFALPS section is still visible on CIFALPS2, but with a lower amplitude. The RF section confirms the existence of a jump of the European Moho of ~10 km amplitude in less than 10 km distance, which is located within a few km from the western boundary of the Mont Blanc external crystalline massif. All these observations are confirmed by the Vs model that also displays a less deep continental subduction than on CIFALPS, weaker S-wave velocities in the Ivrea body wedge, and the jump of the European Moho.</p><p>The Moho beneath the Ligurian Alps is detected at 25-30 km depth both on the RF and on the Vs depth sections. Moving northwards, this Ligurian Moho is separated from the Adriatic Moho by a puzzling S-dipping set of P-to-S converted waves with negative polarity. The crust of the Ligurian Alps is characterized by a set of north-dipping negative-polarity converted waves at 10 to 20 km depth beneath the Valosio massif, which is a small internal crystalline massif of (U)HP metamorphic rocks located north of Voltri. The similarity of this set of negative-polarity conversions to the one observed beneath the Dora Maira massif on the CIFALPS profile suggests that it may be a relic of the Alpine structure overprinted by the opening of the Ligurian sea.</p>

Seismic Structure and Tectonic Evolution of Borneo and Sulawesi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Telajan Linang ◽  
Amy Gilligan ◽  
Jennifer Jenkins ◽  
Tim Greenfield ◽  
Felix Tongkul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Crustal Thickness ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Seismic Structure ◽  
Eurasian Plate ◽  
Seismic Stations ◽  
Preliminary Results

<div> <div> <div> <p>Borneo is located at the centre of Southeast Asia, which is one of the most active tectonic regions on Earth due to the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate in the south and the Philippines Sea plate in the east. Borneo resides on the leading edge of the Sundaland block of the Eurasian plate and exhibits lower rates of seismicity when compared to the surrounding regions due to its intraplate setting. Sulawesi, an island which lies just southeast of Borneo, is characterised by intense seismicity due to multiple subduction zones in its vicinity. The tectonic relationship between the two islands is poorly understood, including the provenance of their respective lithospheres, which may have Eurasian and/or East Gondwana origin.</p> <p>Here, we present recent receiver function (RF) results from temporary and permanent broadband seismic stations in the region, which can be used to help improve our understanding of the crust and mantle lithosphere beneath Borneo and Sulawesi. We applied H-K stacking, receiver function migration and inversion to obtain reliable estimates of the crustal thickness beneath the seismic stations. Our preliminary results indicate that the crust beneath Sabah (in northern Borneo), which is a post-subduction setting, appears to be much more complex and is overall thicker (more than 35 km) than the rest of the island. In addition, we find that crustal thickness varies between different tectonic blocks defined from previous surface mapping, with the thinnest crust (23 to 25 km) occurring beneath Sarawak in the west-northwest as well as in the east of Kalimantan.</p> <p>We also present preliminary results from Virtual Deep Seismic Sounding (VDSS) in northern Borneo, where from the RF results we know that there is thick and complex crust. VDSS is able to produce well constrained crustal thickness results in regions where the RF analysis has difficulty recovering the Moho, likely due to complexities such as thick sedimentary basins and obducted ophiolite sequences.</p> </div> </div> </div>

No polarity switch? Continental subduction of European crust below the Eastern Alps imaged by receiver functions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Mroczek ◽  
Frederik Tilmann ◽  
Xiaohui Yuan ◽  
Jan Pleuger ◽  
Ben Heit
Keyword(s):  
Receiver Function ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Receiver Functions ◽  
Opposite Polarity ◽  
Seismic Network ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Teleseismic Tomography ◽  
Minimum Depth ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Receiver Function Method

<p>In the Eastern Alps, teleseismic tomography suggests that there is a switch from European subduction in the west to Adriatic subduction in the east. The dense SWATH-D seismic network is located in the central-eastern Alps between around 10°E and 14.5°E where a change in the dip direction was suggested to occur (e.g. Lippitsch et al. 2003; Mitterbauer et al. 2011). The receiver function method is particularly sensitive to velocity contrasts and so is suited to imaging the interfaces associated with subduction. New receiver function migrations from SWATH-D stations (supplemented by the AlpArray Seismic Network and the EASI profile) show no evidence for Adriatic subduction in the Eastern Alps. Instead, a southward dipping interface [or pair of interfaces with opposite polarity] which we interpreted as subducting  European lower crust can be traced below the Eastern Alps to a minimum depth of 120 km along the extent of SWATH-D. This suggests that in the Alps the polarity flip in subduction does not occur or is located east of our study region beyond 14.25°E, much further east than tomography suggests.</p>

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