Receiver Function mapping of mantle transition zone discontinuities beneath Western Alps using scaled 3-D velocity corrections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongyang Liu ◽  
Liang Zhao ◽  
Anne Paul ◽  
Huaiyu Yuan ◽  
Stefano Solarino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Orogenic Belt ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Mantle Transition Zone ◽  
3D Velocity Model ◽  
The Alps ◽  
European Plate

<p>The Alpine orogenic belt is the result of the continental collision and convergence between the Adriatic microplate and European plate during the Mesozoic. The Alps orogenic belt has a complex tectonic history and the deformation in and around the Alps are significantly affected by several microplates (e.g., Adriatic and Iberia) and blocks, in particular the Apennines, Betics, Dinarides. The mantle transition zone is delineated by seismic velocity discontinuities around the depths of 410 and 660 km which are generally interpreted as polymorphic phase changes in the olivine system and garnet-pyroxene system.The subduction depth of the European plate and the origin of the mantle flow behind the plate plays crucial roles for our understanding of regional geodynamic (Zhao et al., 2016; Hua et al., 2017). Therefore, we use receiver function method to study the seismic features of discontinuities beneath the Western Alps to constrain the structure of subducted plate and study the geodynamic origin of the low velocity anomaly behind the subduction zone and its relationship with the high-relief topography. </p><p>This study uses data collected from 293 permanent and temporary broadband seismic stations (e.g., CIFALPS). Teleseismic events are selected from 30<sup>o</sup> to 90<sup>o </sup>epicentral distrance with magnitudes (Mw) between 5.3 and 9.0. Data are carefully checked by automated and manual procedures to to give a total of 24904 receiver functions. Both 1D velocity model of the IASP91 and 3D velocity model of the EU60 (Zhu et al., 2015) are used for time-to-depth migration. The results show that using 3D velocity model to image the two discontinuities may obtain a more accurate structure image of the mantle transition zone.</p><p>In the northern part of the study area, along the alpine orogenic belt, we find a localized arc-shaped thinning area with a depressed 410 discontinuity, which is attributed to hot mantle upwellings. The uplift is hardly seen on the 660 discontinuity, suggesting that the thermal anomaly is unlikely to be interpreted as a mantle plume. The uplift of the 410-km can be interpreted as the European plate subducting to the depth of the upper transition zone. The depression of the 660-km  is likely attributed to the remnants from the oceanic mantle lithosphere that detached from the Eurasian plate after closure of the Alpine Tethys. Our results show a good agreement between the thinning area of MTZ and the area of topographic uplift, the mantle upwelling promotes the temperature increase which is conducive to the uplift of topographic.</p><p>Reference</p><p>Zhao L , Paul A , Marco G. Malusà, et al. Continuity of the Alpine slab unraveled by high-resolution P-wave tomography. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2016, 121.</p><p>Hua, Y., D. Zhao, and Y. Xu (2017), P wave anisotropic tomography of the Alps, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 122, 4509–4528, doi:10.1002/2016JB013831.</p><p>Zhu H,Bozdag E and Tromp J.Seismic structure of the European upper mantle based on adjoint tomography.Geophys. J. Int. 2015, 201, 18–52</p>

scholarly journals Common reflection point mapping of the mantle transition zone using recorded and 3-D synthetic ScS reverberations

2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (1) ◽  
pp. 724-736
Author(s):  
Samuel M Haugland ◽  
Jeroen Ritsema ◽  
Daoyuan Sun ◽  
Jeannot Trampert ◽  
Maria Koroni
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
Wave Theory ◽  
Shear Velocity ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Reflection Point ◽  
Mantle Transition Zone ◽  
Point Mapping ◽  
Continental Scale

SUMMARY The method of ScS reverberation migration is based on a ‘common reflection point’ analysis of multiple ScS reflections in the mantle transition zone (MTZ). We examine whether ray-theoretical traveltimes, slownesses and reflection points are sufficiently accurate for estimating the thickness H of the MTZ, defined by the distance between the 410- and 660-km phase transitions. First, we analyse ScS reverberations generated by 35 earthquakes and recorded at hundreds of seismic stations from the combined Arrays in China, Hi-NET in Japan and the Global Seismic Network. This analysis suggests that H varies by about 30 km and therefore that dynamic processes have modified the large-scale structure of the MTZ in eastern Asia and the western Pacific region. Second, we apply the same procedure to spectral-element synthetics for PREM and two 3-D models. One 3-D model incorporates degree-20 topography on the 410 and 660 discontinuities, otherwise preserving the PREM velocity model. The other model incorporates the degree-20 velocity heterogeneity of S20RTS and leaves the 410 and 660 flat. To optimize reflection point coverage, our synthetics were computed assuming a homogeneous grid of stations using 16 events, four of which are fictional. The resolved image using PREM synthetics resembles the PREM structure and indicates that the migration approach is correct. However, ScS reverberations are not as strongly sensitive to H as predicted ray-theoretically because the migration of synthetics for a model with degree-20 topography on the 410 and 660: H varies by less than 5 km in the resolved image but 10 km in the original model. In addition, the relatively strong influence of whole-mantle shear-velocity heterogeneity is evident from the migration of synthetics for the S20RTS velocity model and the broad sensitivity kernels of ScS reverberations at a period of 15 s. A ray-theoretical approach to modelling long-period ScS traveltimes appears inaccurate, at least for continental-scale regions with relatively sparse earthquake coverage. Additional modelling and comparisons with SS precursor and receiver function results should rely on 3-D waveform simulations for a variety of structures and ultimately the implementation of full wave theory.

scholarly journals Triplicated P-wave measurements for waveform tomography of the mantle transition zone

Solid Earth ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Stähler ◽  
K. Sigloch ◽  
T. Nissen-Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Epicentral Distance ◽  
Body Wave ◽  
Source Parameters ◽  
Body Waves ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Theoretical Modelling ◽  
Finite Frequency ◽  
Mantle Transition Zone ◽  
Band Limited

Abstract. Triplicated body waves sample the mantle transition zone more extensively than any other wave type, and interact strongly with the discontinuities at 410 km and 660 km. Since the seismograms bear a strong imprint of these geodynamically interesting features, it is highly desirable to invert them for structure of the transition zone. This has rarely been attempted, due to a mismatch between the complex and band-limited data and the (ray-theoretical) modelling methods. Here we present a data processing and modelling strategy to harness such broadband seismograms for finite-frequency tomography. We include triplicated P-waves (epicentral distance range between 14 and 30°) across their entire broadband frequency range, for both deep and shallow sources. We show that is it possible to predict the complex sequence of arrivals in these seismograms, but only after a careful effort to estimate source time functions and other source parameters from data, variables that strongly influence the waveforms. Modelled and observed waveforms then yield decent cross-correlation fits, from which we measure finite-frequency traveltime anomalies. We discuss two such data sets, for North America and Europe, and conclude that their signal quality and azimuthal coverage should be adequate for tomographic inversion. In order to compute sensitivity kernels at the pertinent high body wave frequencies, we use fully numerical forward modelling of the seismic wavefield through a spherically symmetric Earth.

Passive seismic tomography using recorded microseismicity: Application to mining-induced seismicity

Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. B41-B57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Barthwal ◽  
Mirko van der Baan
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Tomography ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Double Difference ◽  
Lateral Velocity ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Arrival Times ◽  
3D Velocity Model ◽  
Passive Seismic ◽  
Dip Angle

Microseismicity is recorded during an underground mine development by a network of seven boreholes. After an initial preprocessing, 488 events are identified with a minimum of 12 P-wave arrival-time picks per event. We have developed a three-step approach for P-wave passive seismic tomography: (1) a probabilistic grid search algorithm for locating the events, (2) joint inversion for a 1D velocity model and event locations using absolute arrival times, and (3) double-difference tomography using reliable differential arrival times obtained from waveform crosscorrelation. The originally diffusive microseismic-event cloud tightens after tomography between depths of 0.45 and 0.5 km toward the center of the tunnel network. The geometry of the event clusters suggests occurrence on a planar geologic fault. The best-fitting plane has a strike of 164.7° north and dip angle of 55.0° toward the west. The study region has known faults striking in the north-northwest–south-southeast direction with a dip angle of 60°, but the relocated event clusters do not fall along any mapped fault. Based on the cluster geometry and the waveform similarity, we hypothesize that the microseismic events occur due to slips along an unmapped fault facilitated by the mining activity. The 3D velocity model we obtained from double-difference tomography indicates lateral velocity contrasts between depths of 0.4 and 0.5 km. We interpret the lateral velocity contrasts in terms of the altered rock types due to ore deposition. The known geotechnical zones in the mine indicate a good correlation with the inverted velocities. Thus, we conclude that passive seismic tomography using microseismic data could provide information beyond the excavation damaged zones and can act as an effective tool to complement geotechnical evaluations.

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>

Ocean Subduction Dynamics in the Alps

Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Philippe Agard ◽  
Mark R. Handy
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
Continental Margin ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Subduction Zones ◽  
Mantle Transition Zone ◽  
Continental Subduction ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Slow Spreading ◽  
Selective Preservation

The Alps preserve abundant oceanic blueschists and eclogites that exemplify the selective preservation of fragments of relatively short-lived, small, slow-spreading North Atlantic–type ocean basins whose subducting slabs reach down to the Mantle Transition Zone at most. Whereas no subducted fragments were returned during the first half of the subduction history, those exhumed afterwards experienced conditions typical of mature subduction zones worldwide. Sedimentary-dominated units were under-plated intermittently, mostly at ~30–40 km depth. Some mafic–ultramafic-dominated units formed close to the continent were subducted to ~80 km and offscraped from the slab only a few million years before continental subduction. Spatiotemporal contrasts in burial and preservation of the fragments reveal how along-strike segmentation of the continental margin affects ocean subduction dynamics.

Constraints of Crustal Heterogeneity and Q(f) from Regional (<4  Hz) Wave Propagation for the 2009 North Korea Nuclear Test

2018 ◽  
Vol 108 (3A) ◽  
pp. 1369-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim B. Olsen ◽  
Michael Begnaud ◽  
Scott Phillips ◽  
Bo Holm Jacobsen
Keyword(s):  
Wave Propagation ◽  
North Korea ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Los Alamos ◽  
Crust And Upper Mantle ◽  
3D Velocity Model

Abstract We carried out 3D finite‐difference (FD) simulations (<4  Hz) of regional wave propagation for the 2009 North Korea nuclear explosion and compared the synthetics with instrument‐corrected records at stations INCN and TJN in South Korea. The source is an isotropic explosion with a moment magnitude of 4.1. Synthetics computed in the relatively smooth Sandia/Los Alamos National Laboratory SALSA3D (SAndia LoS Alamos 3D) velocity model significantly overpredict Rayleigh‐wave amplitudes by more than an order of magnitude while underpredicting coda amplitudes. The addition to SALSA3D of a von Karman distribution of small‐scale heterogeneities with correlation lengths of ∼1000  m, a Hurst number of 0.1, and a horizontal‐to‐vertical anisotropy of ∼5 produces synthetics in general agreement with the data. The best fits are obtained from models with a gradient in the strength of the velocity and density perturbations and strong scattering (10%) limited to the top 7.5–10 km of the crust. Deeper scattering tends to decrease the initial P‐wave amplitudes to levels much below those for the data, a critical result for methods discriminating between explosive and earthquake sources. In particular, the amplitude at the onset of Pn can be affected by as little as 2% small‐scale heterogeneity in the lower crust and upper mantle. Simulations including a constant Q of 200 (INCN) to 350 (TJN) below 1 Hz and a power‐law Q(f) formulation at higher frequencies, with an exponent of 0.3, generate synthetics in best agreement with the data. In our simulations, very limited scattering contribution from the near‐source area accumulates along the regional path.

2D velocity profiles along south- and northwestern Norway: An approach using receiver function analysis and Markov chains

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Brönner ◽  
Claudia Pavez
Keyword(s):  
Deep Structure ◽  
Receiver Function ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Reversible Jump ◽  
Moho Discontinuity ◽  
Mantle Transition Zone ◽  
Temporary Network ◽  
Receiver Function Analysis ◽  
Teleseismic Events

&lt;p&gt;A receiver function analysis was carried out along two profiles located in north- and southwestern Norway. We selected and processed 801 teleseismic events registered by twelve seismic stations belonging to the 2002-2005 Geofon/Aarhus temporary network. The HK (depth vs Vp/Vs) stacking procedure and a Reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (Rj-McMC) inversion were applied independently with the objective to reveal new crustal and crust-mantle transitional contrasts gaining a better understanding of the geology. In the southern profile, the most noticeable feature corresponds to a Moho offset of about ~5 km ca. 85 km to the east of the Norwegian coast: That feature was previously observed in several occasions and is also well-supported from this research. Furthermore, a very deep Moho discontinuity &amp;#8211; at between 45 &amp;#8211; 50 km depth - was found beneath the northern profile, approximately 70 km inland from the coast, and dipping about 30&amp;#176; to the northwest. Even when this deep structure was previously inferred through other methods, its presence was not certainly confirmed and so far, the origin of this feature is still disputed. We discuss two hypotheses, which are valid to explain the occurrence of the noticeable anomaly. First, a gradual and wide crust-mantle transition zone, which is also reflected in the velocity model or second, the presence of a paleo-slab of Fennoscandian basement subducted and deformed during the Caledonian Orogen (490-390 Ma).&lt;/p&gt;

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