Detailed mapping of seismic anisotropy with local shear waves in southeastern Kamchatka

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

27

Mantle Wedge, Seismic Anisotropy, Shear-Wave Birefringence, Subduction

Scientific paper

The Kamchatka Peninsula lies over a vigorous subduction zone where Pacific and North American plates converge at a rate of almost 80 mm yr-1. Earthquakes associated with the subduction process provide an excellent source of seismic data for the study of anisotropic properties of the upper mantle and crust overlying the downgoing lithospheric slab. We collected a large set of shear waves from events within the slab recorded by a variety of seismic stations in Kamchatka. Data from permanent and temporary networks cover the entire ~700 km length of the subduction zone, with 50-200 km spacing between observing sites, resulting in an unprecedented coverage of the supraslab mantle wedge. We estimated shear wave splitting in selected S waves using two techniques and applied quality tests to ensure measurement stability. Fast directions vary from station to station, and they can vary with backazimuth at individual stations and with direction of propagation for individual sources. In over 350 measurements we recovered meaningful splitting delays, up to 1 s, with most delays in the 0.2-0.6 s range. Additionally, in nearly 200 measurements splitting could not be resolved, yielding `NULL' observations. Anisotropic properties of the Kamchatka supraslab mantle wedge vary greatly along the volcanic arc and forearc of the subduction zone. Observed anisotropic indicators in the arc and forearc correlate spatially with some tectonic features (e.g. volcanoes). Inland of the volcanic arc most splitting values indicate trench-parallel fast polarization. We do not observe depth dependence in local S-wave splitting delays, consistent with a shallow coherence of anisotropic texture. In the vicinity of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky observed anisotropic indicators are coherently trench-normal, and thus consistent with 2-D corner flow. However, splitting above the fragmented slab edge near the Klyuchevskoy volcanic centre is variable and trench-oblique. Birefringence between Petropavlovsk and Klyuchevskoy is weak. Overall, our observations are incompatible with a regional slab-driven corner flow regime.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Detailed mapping of seismic anisotropy with local shear waves in southeastern Kamchatka does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Detailed mapping of seismic anisotropy with local shear waves in southeastern Kamchatka, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Detailed mapping of seismic anisotropy with local shear waves in southeastern Kamchatka will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1064636

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.