1. Seismic Anisotropy Tomography and Mantle Dynamics of Central‐Eastern USA.
- Author
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Liang, Xuran, Zhao, Dapeng, Hua, Yuanyuan, and Xu, Yi‐Gang
- Subjects
SEISMIC anisotropy ,SEISMIC tomography ,SEISMOLOGY ,EARTHQUAKE zones ,SEISMIC wave velocity ,SEISMIC networks - Abstract
We present high‐resolution 3‐D tomographic models of isotropic P‐wave velocity (Vp), azimuthal anisotropy, and radial anisotropy down to 1,300 km depth beneath the central and eastern United States (CEUS), which are obtained by inverting a great number of local and teleseismic data and making a whole‐mantle correction to teleseismic travel‐time data recorded by the USArray. Trade‐offs between azimuthal and radial anisotropies occur due to the correlation between the azimuthal and incidence angles of seismic rays, but the use of uniform and crisscrossing rays can reduce the trade‐off effect. Our tomographic images reveal the North American Craton with layered anisotropy and strong anisotropies in the lower mantle related to the deeply subducted Farallon slab and passage of the Bermuda hotspot. In the upper mantle, low‐velocity anomalies with significant seismic anisotropy are revealed beneath three intraplate seismic zones in New Madrid, East Tennessee, and South Carolina, suggesting that hot and wet mantle upwelling occurs under the seismic zones, and the related fluids affect the earthquake generation. The most important dynamic processes in the mantle beneath the CEUS are the deep subduction of the Farallon plate and the passage of the Bermuda hotspot, which have caused strong structural heterogeneities, seismic anisotropy, as well as thermal anomalies and fluids that contributed to the formation of intraplate seismic zones in the CEUS. Plain Language Summary: In the central and eastern United States (CEUS), the North American Craton has been stable for over ∼1.3 Ga, whereas three intraplate seismic zones exist in New Madrid, East Tennessee and South Carolina. Their locations coincide well with the track of the passed Bermuda hotspot and the deeply subducted Farallon slab in the lower mantle, but related mantle dynamics are poorly understood. Here, we adopt two types of seismic anisotropy (directional dependence of seismic wave speed) to describe the mantle dynamics beneath the CEUS. We obtain high‐resolution 3‐D anisotropic images down to 1,300 km depth by inverting high‐quality travel‐time data of local and teleseismic events recorded by the USArray seismic network. Our results reveal detailed mantle structure and dynamics beneath the CEUS, including the layered North American Craton, weak lithosphere beneath the three seismic zones, and seismic anisotropies in the mantle transition zone (410–660 km depths) and the lower mantle. The New Madrid Seismic Zone is affected by asthenospheric upwelling beneath the Mississippi Embayment. A narrow low‐velocity pillar is revealed in the thick lithosphere beneath the East Tennessee Seismic Zone. The South Carolina Seismic Zone is affected by mantle convection under the passive continental margin. The deep subduction of the Farallon plate and the passage of the Bermuda hotspot are the most critical dynamic processes in the mantle beneath the CEUS, which have caused significant structural variations, strong seismic anisotropy, as well as thermal anomalies and fluids that contributed to the formation of the intraplate seismic zones in the CEUS. Key Points: 3‐D P‐wave anisotropic tomography down to 1,300 km depth beneath the central‐eastern USA is obtainedDifferent upper‐mantle structures and dynamics are revealed beneath the three intraplate seismic zonesAnisotropies in the upper part of the lower mantle are related to the subducted Farallon slab and passage of the Bermuda hotspot [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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