Joint inversion of receiver functions and surface waves with enhanced preconditioning on densely distributed CNDSN stations: Crustal and upper mantle structure beneath China

We present shear wave velocity structure beneath China by joint modeling of teleseismic receiver function and Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion data observed at +1000 permanent broadband seismic stations in the Chinese National Digital Seismic Network (CNDSN). A ray-parameter-based stacking method is employed to minimize artifacts in stacking receiver functions from different sources. The Rayleigh wave dispersion curve is extracted from group velocity tomographic models at all applicable periods. Enhanced preconditions are applied on the linearized iterative inversion to regularize and balance multiple types of data. The velocity profile inversion at each station starts from an initial model derived from sediments, crustal thickness, Vp/Vs ratio and Pn/Sn models. This multistep approach not only reduces uncertainty and nonuniqueness of the velocity inversion but also efficiently fills information gap in each data set. We then generate a 3-D S velocity model by combining and smoothing all the 1-D models. The obtained 3-D model reveals crustal and upper mantle velocity structures that are well correlated with tectonic features of China, for example, our model shows a clear east-west bimodal distribution at 35 km deep, low velocity in the crust beneath central and eastern Tibetan plateau, and sedimentary structure in major cratons and basins. Our model is consistent with existing tomographic models in large scale but provides more structural details in regional and local scales

Full-waveform inversion of triplicated data using a normalized-correlation-coefficient-based misfit function

In seismic full-waveform inversion (FWI), the choice of misfit function determines what information in data is used and ultimately affects the resolution of the inverted images of the Earth's structure. Misfit functions based on traveltime have been successfully applied in global and regional tomographic studies. However, wave propagation through the upper mantle results in multiple phases arriving at a given receiver in a narrow time interval resulting in complicated waveforms that evolve with distance. To extract waveform information as well as traveltime, we use a misfit function based on the normalized correlation coefficient (CC). This misfit function is able to capture the waveform complexities in both phase and relative amplitude within the measurement window. It is also insensitive to absolute amplitude differences between modeled and recorded data, which avoids problems due to uncertainties in source magnitude, radiation pattern, receiver site effects or even miscalibrated instruments. These features make the misfit function based on normalized CC a good candidate to achieve high-resolution images of complex geological structures when interfering phases coexist in the measurement window, such as triplication waveforms. From synthetic tests, we show the advantages of this misfit function over the cross-correlation traveltime misfit function. Preliminary inversion of data from an earthquake in Northeast China images a sharper and stronger amplitude slab stagnant in the middle of the transition zone than FWI of cross-correlation traveltime

Observations and modeling of long-period ground-motion amplification across northeast China

Basin resonances can significantly amplify and prolong ground shaking, and accurate site‐amplification estimates are crucial for mitigating potential seismic hazards within metropolitan basins. In this work, we estimate the site amplification of long‐period (2–10 s) ground motions across northeast China for both surface waves and vertically incident shear waves. The spatial distribution of relatively large site amplifications correlates strongly with known sedimentary basins for both wave types. However, the site response of surface waves is typically twice as high as that of shear waves at most basin sites. We further show that these site‐amplification features can be well explained by predictions based on the local one‐dimensional structure at each site. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for surface‐wave contributions and demonstrate the usefulness of semi‐analytical theory for surface‐wave amplification, which may be broadly applicable in future seismic hazard analysis

Crustal structure and deformation beneath the NE margin of the Tibetan plateau constrained by teleseismic receiver function data

We analysed a large amount of teleseismic receiver function data recorded by 172 broadband stations in the NE Tibetan plateau and its surrounding areas to investigate the crustal velocity and anisotropy structure beneath the margin. We first applied the modified H–κ stacking technique to measure the crustal thickness and average Vp/Vs ratio, and then employed a joint inversion scheme to measure azimuthal anisotropy of the crust beneath each station. The observed crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio exhibit large variations across the study area, varying from 32 to 75.6 km and from 1.601 to 1.864, respectively. We also found significant azimuthal anisotropy within the crust beneath 12 stations, with a splitting time between 0.36 and 1.06s. The fast polarization directions align well with surface structures, and follow the directions of the maximum horizontal tensile stress. The low Vp/Vs ratio and the strong azimuthal anisotropy observed beneath the margin suggest that whole crustal shortening might be the dominant mechanism for producing the thick crust in NE Tibet. We compared the measured seismic anisotropy with those measured from XKS (SKS, PKS and SKKS), and found that crustal anisotropy appears to play an important role in explaining the amount of XKS splitting times. More importantly, the Moho Ps and the XKS share similar fast polarization directions, suggesting a vertically coherent deformation within the lithosphere beneath the margin

Imaging crustal and upper mantle structure beneath the Colorado Plateau using finite frequency Rayleigh wave tomography

A new 3-D shear velocity model of the crust and upper mantle beneath the Colorado Plateau and surrounding regions of the southwestern United States was made with finite frequency Rayleigh wave tomography using EarthScope/USArray data. The goal of our study is to examine the Colorado Plateau lithospheric modification that has resulted from Cenozoic tectonism and magmatism. We have inverted for the isotropic Vs model from a grid of Rayleigh wave dispersion curves obtained by a modified two-plane wave method for periods from 20 to 167 s. We map the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary under the Colorado Plateau by identifying the middle of the shallowest upper mantle negative Vs gradient. The depths of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary inferred here agree well with receiver function estimates made independently. The strong lateral heterogeneity of shear velocity can be mainly attributed to 200–400 K variations in temperature together with ∼1% partial melt fraction in the shallow upper mantle. The resulting Vs structures clearly image the upper mantle low-velocity zones under the Colorado Plateau margins that are associated with magmatic encroachment. These upper mantle low-velocity zones resulted from the convective removal of the Colorado Plateau lithosphere that had been rehydrated by subduction-released water, refertilizing and destabilizing it. This convective erosion by the asthenosphere at the low-viscosity part of the lithosphere is driven by the large step in lithospheric thickness and the thermal gradient across the boundary between the plateau and the extended Basin and Range since the Mid-Cenozoic at a rate similar to that of magmatic migration into the plateau from the southeast, south, and northwest. Moreover, the Rayleigh wave tomography model images parts of a high-velocity drip in the western Colorado Plateau and thus provides additional seismic evidence for ongoing convective downwelling of the lithosphere that was initially suggested by receiver functions and body wave tomography. The widespread edge convective erosion, which the regional delamination-style downwelling processes are a 3-D manifestation of, could provide additional buoyancy sources to support the excess uplift at the margins of the platea

Observations and modeling of long-period ground-motion amplification across northeast China

Basin resonances can significantly amplify and prolong ground shaking, and accurate site‐amplification estimates are crucial for mitigating potential seismic hazards within metropolitan basins. In this work, we estimate the site amplification of long‐period (2–10 s) ground motions across northeast China for both surface waves and vertically incident shear waves. The spatial distribution of relatively large site amplifications correlates strongly with known sedimentary basins for both wave types. However, the site response of surface waves is typically twice as high as that of shear waves at most basin sites. We further show that these site‐amplification features can be well explained by predictions based on the local one‐dimensional structure at each site. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for surface‐wave contributions and demonstrate the usefulness of semi‐analytical theory for surface‐wave amplification, which may be broadly applicable in future seismic hazard analysis

Distinct slab interfaces imaged within the mantle transition zone

Oceanic lithosphere descends into Earth’s mantle at subduction zones and drives material exchange between Earth’s surface and its deep interior. The subduction process creates chemical and thermal heterogeneities in the mantle, with the strongest gradients located at the interfaces between subducted slabs and the surrounding mantle. Seismic imaging of slab interfaces is key to understanding slab compositional layering, deep-water cycling and melting, yet the existence of slab interfaces below 200 km remains unconfirmed. Here, we observe two sharp and slightly dipping seismic discontinuities within the mantle transition zone beneath the western Pacific subduction zone that coincide spatially with the upper and lower bounds of the high-velocity slab. Based on a multi-frequency receiver function waveform modelling, we found the upper discontinuity to be consistent with the Mohorovičić discontinuity of the subducted oceanic lithosphere in the mantle transition zone. The lower discontinuity could be caused by partial melting of sub-slab asthenosphere under hydrous conditions in the seaward portion of the slab. Our observations show distinct slab–mantle boundaries at depths between 410 and 660 km, deeper than previously observed, suggesting a compositionally layered slab and high water contents beneath the slab