A comparative study of parameterized and full thermal-convection models in the interpretation of heat flow from cratons and mobile belts

Heat flow from Archean cratons worldwide is typically lower than from younger mobile belts surrounding them. The contrast in heat flow between cratons and mobile belts has been attributed in previous studies to the greater thermal resistance of thicker lithosphere beneath the cratons which impedes the flow of mantle heat through the cratons and forces more mantle heat to escape through thinner mobile belt lithosphere. This interpretation is based on thermal models which employ a parameterized convection algorithm to calculate heat transfer in the sublithospheric mantle. We test this interpretation by comparing thermal models constructed using the parameterized convection scheme with models developed using an algorithm for full thermal convection. We show that thermal models constructed using the two different convection algorithms yield similar surface heat flow and thermal structure to moderate depths within the lithosphere. Therefore, we conclude that the interpretation of the heat-flow observations in terms of thicker lithosphere under Archean cratons than under mobile belts is robust in the sense that surface heat flow is not sensitive to the details of heat transfer within the convecting mantle and how deep mantle heat is delivered to the base of the lithosphere.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74756/1/j.1365-246X.1993.tb04665.x.pd

Upper Mantle Earth Structure in Africa From Full-Wave Ambient Noise Tomography

Our understanding of the tectonic development of the African continent and the interplay between its geological provinces is hindered by unevenly distributed seismic instrumentation. In order to better understand the continent, we used long-period ambient noise full-waveform tomography on data collected from 186 broadband seismic stations throughout Africa and surrounding regions to better image the upper mantle structure. We extracted empirical Green\u27s functions from ambient seismic noise using a frequency-time normalization method and retrieved coherent signal at periods of 7–340 s. We simulated wave propagation through a heterogeneous Earth using a spherical finite-difference approach to obtain synthetic waveforms, measured the misfit as phase delay between the data and synthetics, calculated numerical sensitivity kernels using the scattering integral approach, and iteratively inverted for structure. The resulting images of isotropic, shear wave speed for the continent reveal segmented, low-velocity upper mantle beneath the highly magmatic northern and eastern sections of the East African Rift System (EARS). In the southern and western sections, high-velocity upper mantle dominates, and distinct, low-velocity anomalies are restricted to regions of current volcanism. At deeper depths, the southern and western EARS transition to low velocities. In addition to the EARS, several low-velocity anomalies are scattered through the shallow upper mantle beneath Angola and North Africa, and some of these low-velocity anomalies may be connected to a deeper feature. Distinct upper mantle high-velocity anomalies are imaged throughout the continent and suggest multiple cratonic roots within the Congo region and possible cratonic roots within the Sahara Metacraton

Mantle Transition Zone Structure beneath Kenya and Tanzania: More Evidence for a Deep-Seated Thermal Upwelling in the Mantle

Here we investigate the thermal structure of the mantle beneath the eastern Branch of the East African Rift system in Kenya and Tanzania. We focus on the structure of the mantle transition zone, as delineated by stacking of receiver functions. The top of the transition zone (the 410 km discontinuity) displays distinctive topography, and is systematically depressed beneath the rift in Kenya and northern Tanzania and adjacent volcanic fields. This depression is indicative of a localized ∼350 °C thermal anomaly. In contrast, the bottom of the transition zone (the 660 km discontinuity) is everywhere depressed. This region-wide depression is best explained as a Ps conversion from the majorite—perovskite transition of anomalously warm mantle. We interpret this structure of the transition zone as resulting from the ponding of a mantle plume (possibly the deep-mantle African Superplume) at the base of the transition zone, which then drives localized thermal upwellings that disrupt the top of the transition zone and extend to shallow mantle depths beneath the rift in Kenya and northern Tanzania

Seasonal and spatial variations in the ocean-coupled ambient wavefield of the Ross Ice Shelf

© The Author(s), 2019. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Baker, M. G., Aster, R. C., Anthony, R. E., Chaput, J., Wiens, D. A., Nyblade, A., Bromirski, P. D., Gerstoft, P., & Stephen, R. A. Seasonal and spatial variations in the ocean-coupled ambient wavefield of the Ross Ice Shelf. Journal of Glaciology, 65(254), (2019): 912-925, doi:10.1017/jog.2019.64.The Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) is host to a broadband, multimode seismic wavefield that is excited in response to atmospheric, oceanic and solid Earth source processes. A 34-station broadband seismographic network installed on the RIS from late 2014 through early 2017 produced continuous vibrational observations of Earth's largest ice shelf at both floating and grounded locations. We characterize temporal and spatial variations in broadband ambient wavefield power, with a focus on period bands associated with primary (10–20 s) and secondary (5–10 s) microseism signals, and an oceanic source process near the ice front (0.4–4.0 s). Horizontal component signals on floating stations overwhelmingly reflect oceanic excitations year-round due to near-complete isolation from solid Earth shear waves. The spectrum at all periods is shown to be strongly modulated by the concentration of sea ice near the ice shelf front. Contiguous and extensive sea ice damps ocean wave coupling sufficiently so that wintertime background levels can approach or surpass those of land-sited stations in Antarctica.This research was supported by NSF grants PLR-1142518, 1141916, 1142126, 1246151 and 1246416. JC was additionally supported by Yates funds in the Colorado State University Department of Mathematics. PDB also received support from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways under contract 11-106-107. We thank Reinhard Flick and Patrick Shore for their support during field work, Tom Bolmer in locating stations and preparing maps, and the US Antarctic Program for logistical support. The seismic instruments were provided by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) through the PASSCAL Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech. Data collected are available through the IRIS Data Management Center under RIS and DRIS network code XH. The PSD-PDFs presented in this study were processed with the IRIS Noise Tool Kit (Bahavar and others, 2013). The facilities of the IRIS Consortium are supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement EAR-1261681 and the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration. The authors appreciate the support of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Automatic Weather Station Program for the data set, data display and information; funded under NSF grant number ANT-1543305. The Ross Ice Shelf profiles were generated using the Antarctic Mapping Tools (Greene and others, 2017). Regional maps were generated with the Generic Mapping Tools (Wessel and Smith, 1998). Topography and bathymetry data for all maps in this study were sourced from the National Geophysical Data Center ETOPO1 Global Relief Model (doi:10.7289/V5C8276M). We thank two anonymous reviewers for suggestions on the scope and organization of this paper

Velocity structure and lithospheric age of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains

第2回極域科学シンポジウム/第31回極域地学シンポジウム 11月16日（水） 国立国語研究

Ocean-excited plate waves in the Ross and Pine Island Glacier ice shelves

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Journal of Glaciology 64 (2018): 730-744, doi:10.1017/jog.2018.66.Ice shelves play an important role in buttressing land ice from reaching the sea, thus restraining the rate of grounded ice loss. Long-period gravity-wave impacts excite vibrations in ice shelves that can expand pre-existing fractures and trigger iceberg calving. To investigate the spatial amplitude variability and propagation characteristics of these vibrations, a 34-station broadband seismic array was deployed on the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) from November 2014 to November 2016. Two types of ice-shelf plate waves were identified with beamforming: flexural-gravity waves and extensional Lamb waves. Below 20 mHz, flexural-gravity waves dominate coherent signals across the array and propagate landward from the ice front at close to shallow-water gravity-wave speeds (~70 m s−1). In the 20–100 mHz band, extensional Lamb waves dominate and propagate at phase speeds ~3 km s−1. Flexural-gravity and extensional Lamb waves were also observed by a 5-station broadband seismic array deployed on the Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf from January 2012 to December 2013, with flexural wave energy, also detected at the PIG in the 20–100 mHz band. Considering the ubiquitous presence of storm activity in the Southern Ocean and the similar observations at both the RIS and the PIG ice shelves, it is likely that most, if not all, West Antarctic ice shelves are subjected to similar gravity-wave excitation.Bromirski, Gerstoft, Chen and Diez were supported by NSF grant PLR 1246151. Stephen was supported by NSF grant PLR-1246416. Wiens, Aster and Nyblade were supported under NSF grants PLR-1142518, 1141916 and 1142126, respectively

A gravity model for the lithosphere in western Kenya and northeastern Tanzania

We present a new gravity model for the lithosphere beneath the Kenya Rift Valley, the Mozambique Belt, and the Tanzania Craton in western Kenya and northeastern Tanzania. The Kenya Rift lies within the eastern branch of the extensive Cenozoic East African Rift System and has developed almost entirely in the Pan-African Mozambique Belt about 50 to 150 km east of the exposed margin of the Archean Tanzania Craton. The gravity field over western Kenya and northeastern Tanzania is characterized by a long-wavelength Bouguer anomaly. We propose that this anomaly has two components: 1. (1) a "rift" signature, deriving from a shallow rift basin, a lower crustal intrusion and a low-density zone in the mantle lithosphere localized beneath the rift axis2. (2) a "suture" signature, arising from a crustal root along the boundary between the Mozambique Belt and Tanzania Craton and higher density crust in the mobile belt above part of the crustal root. Two lines of reasoning support our interpretation: 1. (1) Recent geological studies of the Mozambique Belt in Kenya and Tanzania suggest that it is a continent-continent collision zone, and continent-continent collision zones worldwide commonly exhibit a characteristic gravity anomaly.2. (2) The long-wavelength Bouguer anomaly has at least two minima, one over the craton-mobile belt boundary, and one or more over the rift valley. Corroborative evidence for our interpretation of the gravity field is provided by recent seismic investigations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29787/1/0000126.pd

Glacial Earthquakes and Precursory Seismicity Associated With Thwaites Glacier Calving

We observe two (~MS 3) long‐period (10–30 s) seismic events that originate from the terminus of Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Serendipitous acquisition of satellite images confirm that the seismic events were glacial earthquakes generated during the capsizing of icebergs. The glacial earthquakes were preceded by 6 days of discrete high‐frequency seismic events that can be observed at distances exceeding 250 km. The high‐frequency seismicity displays an increasing rate of occurrence, culminating in several hours of sustained tremor coeval with the long‐period events. A series of satellite images collected during this precursory time period show that the high‐frequency events and tremor are the result of accelerating growth of ancillary fractures prior to the culminating calving event. This study indicates that seismic data have the potential to elucidate the processes by which Thwaites Glacier discharges into the ocean, thus improving our ability to constrain future sea level rise

Crustal thinning between the Ethiopian and East African Plateaus from modeling Rayleigh wave dispersion

The East African and Ethiopian Plateaus have long been recognized to be part of a much larger topographic anomaly on the African Plate called the African Superswell. One of the few places within the African Superswell that exhibit elevations of less than 1 km is southeastern Sudan and northern Kenya, an area containing both Mesozoic and Cenozoic rift basins. Crustal structure and uppermost mantle velocities are investigated in this area by modeling Rayleigh wave dispersion. Modeling results indicate an average crustal thickness of 25 {+-} 5 km, some 10-15 km thinner than the crust beneath the adjacent East African and Ethiopian Plateaus. The low elevations can therefore be readily attributed to an isostatic response from crustal thinning. Low Sn velocities of 4.1-4.3 km/s also characterize this region