Origin of the Newberry Hotspot Track: Evidence from shear-wave splitting

Physics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

8

Scientific paper

Located in the northwestern United States, the Newberry Hotspot Track consists of a sequence of age-progressive silicic volcanic domes and lava flows, showing a monotonic age progression from east to west ending at the Newberry Caldera. While mantle plumes are often called upon to explain hotspot tracks, the Newberry track cannot be the direct product of plate motion over a stationary mantle source as its orientation is ˜120° to plate motion, making it a good case study for alternative causal mechanisms of hotspot tracks. Four end-member tectonic models have been proposed: (1) subduction counterflow, (2) gravitational flow along the base of the lithosphere, (3) lithospheric faulting, and (4) extension of the Basin and Range. To get fabric information about the asthenosphere and constrain the possible flow fields beneath the Newberry track, SKS splitting measurements were made for 27 events at 12 stations of the Oregon Array for Teleseismic Study (OATS) along the track. A gradual rotation of the fast direction is observed from ENE WSW at the northwest end of the array to E W to the southeast and the delay times average 1.65 s. We infer that the SKS splits are the product of anisotropy in the asthenosphere and the anisotropy orientation does not vary with depth beneath the track. The average fast directions ENE WSW to the northwest are consistent with generation by mantle shear parallel to the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate, and the more E W fast directions to the east are perhaps due to shear caused by the Basin and Range extension. Since the observed fast directions are not parallel to the Newberry track, as the subduction counterflow model or the gravitational flow model suggests, the age-progressive volcanism is unlikely a direct product of asthenospheric flow. Instead, we propose that the Newberry track is the product of lithosphere-controlled processes.

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

Origin of the Newberry Hotspot Track: Evidence from shear-wave splitting 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 Origin of the Newberry Hotspot Track: Evidence from shear-wave splitting, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Origin of the Newberry Hotspot Track: Evidence from shear-wave splitting will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1164630

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