114 research outputs found
Seismic Tremor Reveals Spatial Organization and Temporal Changes of Subglacial Water System
©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.Subglacial water flow impacts glacier dynamics and shapes the subglacial environment. However, due to the challenges of observing glacier beds, the spatial organization of subglacial water systems and the time scales of conduit evolution and migration are largely unknown. To address these questions, we analyze 1.5‐ to 10‐Hz seismic tremor that we associate with subglacial water flow,
that is, glaciohydraulic tremor, at Taku Glacier, Alaska, throughout the 2016 melt season. We use frequency‐dependent polarization analysis to estimate glaciohydraulic tremor propagation direction (related to the subglacial conduit location) and a degree day melt model to monitor variations in melt‐water
input. We suggest that conduit formation requires sustained water input and that multiconduit flow paths can be distinguished from single‐conduit flow paths. Theoretical analysis supports our seismic interpretations that subglacial discharge likely flows through a single‐conduit in regions of steep hydraulic potential gradients but may be distributed among multiple conduits in regions with shallower potential gradients. Seismic tremor in regions with multiple conduits evolves through abrupt jumps between stable configurations that last 3–7 days, while tremor produced by single‐conduit flow remains more stationary.
We also find that polarized glaciohydraulic tremor wave types are potentially linked to the distance from source to station and that multiple peak frequencies propagate from a similar direction. Tremor appears undetectable at distances beyond 2–6 km from the source. This new understanding of the spatial organization and temporal development of subglacial conduits informs our understanding of dynamism within the subglacial hydrologic system.Raw seismic data described in this paper are available through the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ZQ? timewindow=2015‐2016; Amundson et al., 2015). The raw weather data used in this paper can be found through the Arctic Data Center (https://doi.org/ 10.18739/A2H98ZC7V; Bartholomaus & Walter, 2018). Python code developed to carry out the analyses presented here is available at https://github.com/ voremargot/Seismic‐Tremor‐Reveals‐ Spatial‐Organization‐and‐Temporal‐ Changes‐of Subglacial‐Water‐System and https://github.com/ tbartholomaus/med_spec. This study was made possible with support from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and the University of Idaho. We thank Ginny Catania for the loan of weather stations. J. P. W.'s and J. M. A.'s contributions to this work were supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (OPP‐1337548 and OPP‐ 1303895). T. C. B. thanks Dylan Mikesell for an early conversation, which inspired the analysis presented here.Ye
Chronicles of Oklahoma
Article describes the history of the Chamal Colony, located in the southwest corner of Tamaulipas, Mexico. John J. Winberry highlights the initial optimism of the settlers from Oklahoma who journeyed to begin the colony, and the hardships they eventually faced
Seismic Tremor Reveals Spatial Organization and Temporal Changes of Subglacial Water System
©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.Subglacial water flow impacts glacier dynamics and shapes the subglacial environment. However, due to the challenges of observing glacier beds, the spatial organization of subglacial water systems and the time scales of conduit evolution and migration are largely unknown. To address these questions, we analyze 1.5‐ to 10‐Hz seismic tremor that we associate with subglacial water flow,
that is, glaciohydraulic tremor, at Taku Glacier, Alaska, throughout the 2016 melt season. We use frequency‐dependent polarization analysis to estimate glaciohydraulic tremor propagation direction (related to the subglacial conduit location) and a degree day melt model to monitor variations in melt‐water
input. We suggest that conduit formation requires sustained water input and that multiconduit flow paths can be distinguished from single‐conduit flow paths. Theoretical analysis supports our seismic interpretations that subglacial discharge likely flows through a single‐conduit in regions of steep hydraulic potential gradients but may be distributed among multiple conduits in regions with shallower potential gradients. Seismic tremor in regions with multiple conduits evolves through abrupt jumps between stable configurations that last 3–7 days, while tremor produced by single‐conduit flow remains more stationary.
We also find that polarized glaciohydraulic tremor wave types are potentially linked to the distance from source to station and that multiple peak frequencies propagate from a similar direction. Tremor appears undetectable at distances beyond 2–6 km from the source. This new understanding of the spatial organization and temporal development of subglacial conduits informs our understanding of dynamism within the subglacial hydrologic system.Raw seismic data described in this paper are available through the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (http://ds.iris.edu/mda/ZQ? timewindow=2015‐2016; Amundson et al., 2015). The raw weather data used in this paper can be found through the Arctic Data Center (https://doi.org/ 10.18739/A2H98ZC7V; Bartholomaus & Walter, 2018). Python code developed to carry out the analyses presented here is available at https://github.com/ voremargot/Seismic‐Tremor‐Reveals‐ Spatial‐Organization‐and‐Temporal‐ Changes‐of Subglacial‐Water‐System and https://github.com/ tbartholomaus/med_spec. This study was made possible with support from the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics and the University of Idaho. We thank Ginny Catania for the loan of weather stations. J. P. W.'s and J. M. A.'s contributions to this work were supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (OPP‐1337548 and OPP‐ 1303895). T. C. B. thanks Dylan Mikesell for an early conversation, which inspired the analysis presented here.Ye
Mapping Crustal Shear Wave Velocity Structure and Radial Anisotropy Beneath West Antarctica Using Seismic Ambient Noise
Using 8- to 25-s-period Rayleigh and Love wave phase velocity dispersion data extracted from seismic ambient noise, we (i) model the 3-D shear wave velocity structure of the West Antarctic crust and (ii) map variations in crustal radial anisotropy. Enhanced regional resolution is offered by the UK Antarctic Seismic Network. In the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS), a ridge of crust ∼26–30km thick extending south from Marie Byrd Land separates domains of more extended crust (∼22km thick) in the Ross and Amundsen Sea Embayments, suggesting along-strike variability in the Cenozoic evolution of the WARS. The southern margin of the WARS is defined along the southern Transantarctic Mountains and Haag-Ellsworth Whitmore Mountains (HEW) block by a sharp crustal thickness gradient. Crust ∼35–40km is modeled beneath the Haag Nunataks-Ellsworth Mountains, decreasing to ∼30–32km thick beneath the Whitmore Mountains, reflecting distinct structural domains within the composite HEW block. Our analysis suggests that the lower crust and potentially the middle crust is positively radially anisotropic (VSH \u3e VSV) across West Antarctica. The strongest anisotropic signature is observed in the HEW block, emphasizing its unique provenance among West Antarctica\u27s crustal units, and conceivably reflects a ∼13-km-thick metasedimentary succession atop Precambrian metamorphic basement. Positive radial anisotropy in the WARS crust is consistent with observations in extensional settings and likely reflects the lattice-preferred orientation of minerals such as mica and amphibole by extensional deformation. Our observations support a contention that anisotropy may be ubiquitous in the continental crust
Seismic observations of transient subglacial water-flow beneath MacAyeal Ice Stream, West Antarctica
New seismic observations of harmonic tremors beneath MacAyeal Ice Stream, West Antarctica are reported. Each of the two tremor events that we recorded during a six week period had sustained arrival of 3 Hz energy for approximately 10 minutes. During that time the source location migrated a few kilometers. The harmonic nature of the tremors is interpreted as the result of resonance in subglacial water-filled cracks and conduits. The duration, monochromatic nature, and movement of the tremor indicate that the source mechanism is likely flow in the subglacial water system resulting from the discharge from a small subglacial lake. Our results suggest that the subglacial water system produces repeated, small outburst floods, with possible implications for ice-stream dynamics
Tidal and spatial variability of flow speed and seismicity near the grounding zone of Beardmore Glacier, Antarctica
GPS measurements of tidal modulation of ice flow and seismicity within the grounding zone of Beardmore Glacier show that tidally induced fluctuations of horizontal flow are largest near the grounding line and decrease downstream. Seismic activity is continuous, but peaks occur on falling and rising tides. Beamforming methods reveal that most seismic events originate from two distinct locations, one on the grid-north side of the grounding zone, and one on the grid-south side. The broad pattern of deformation generated as Beardmore Glacier merges with the Ross Ice Shelf results in net extension along the grid-north side of the grounding zone and net compression along the grid-south side. During falling tides, seismic activity peaks on both sides because of increased vertical flexure across the grounding line. During rising tides, seismic activity in the region of extension on the grid-north side is relatively low because the tidal influence on both horizontal strain rate and vertical flexure is small. On the gridsouth side during rising tides, however, tidally induced horizontal strain rates promote increased seismicity in regions of long-term compressional flow paths. Our study highlights how concurrent geodetic and seismic measurements provide insight into grounding-zone mechanics and their influence on ice-shelf buttressing
The Crust and Upper Mantle Structure of Central and West Antarctica From Bayesian Inversion of Rayleigh Wave and Receiver Functions
We construct a new seismic model for central and West Antarctica by jointly inverting Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities along with P wave receiver functions. Ambient noise tomography exploiting data from more than 200 seismic stations deployed over the past 18 years is used to construct Rayleigh wave phase and group velocity dispersion maps. Comparison between the ambient noise phase velocity maps with those constructed using teleseismic earthquakes confirms the accuracy of both results. These maps, together with P receiver function waveforms, are used to construct a new 3-D shear velocity (Vs) model for the crust and uppermost mantle using a Bayesian Monte Carlo algorithm. The new 3-D seismic model shows the dichotomy of the tectonically active West Antarctica (WANT) and the stable and ancient East Antarctica (EANT). In WANT, the model exhibits a slow uppermost mantle along the Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) front, interpreted as the thermal effect from Cenozoic rifting. Beneath the southern TAMs, the slow uppermost mantle extends horizontally beneath the traditionally recognized EANT, hypothesized to be associated with lithospheric delamination. Thin crust and lithosphere observed along the Amundsen Sea coast and extending into the interior suggest involvement of these areas in Cenozoic rifting. EANT, with its relatively thick and cold crust and lithosphere marked by high Vs, displays a slower Vs anomaly beneath the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in the uppermost mantle, which we hypothesize may be the signature of a compositionally anomalous body, perhaps remnant from a continental collision
Seismic observations of crevasse growth following rain-induced glacier acceleration, Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, New Zealand
Changing rates of water input can affect both the flow of glaciers and ice sheets and their propensity to crevasse. Here we examine geodetic and seismic observations during two substantial (10–18-times background velocity) rain-induced glacier accelerations at Haupapa/Tasman Glacier, New Zealand. Changes in rain rate result in glacier acceleration and associated uplift, which propagate down-glacier. This pattern of acceleration results in a change to the strain rate field, which correlates with an order of magnitude increase in the apparent seismicity rate and an overall down-glacier migration in located seismicity. After each acceleration event the apparent seismicity rate decreases to below the pre-acceleration rate for 3 days. This suggests that seismic events associated with surface crevasse growth occur early during phases of glacier acceleration due to elevated extensional stresses, and then do not occur again until stresses recover
Nucleation and seismic tremor associated with the glacial earthquakes of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica
The ability to monitor transient motion along faults is critical to improving our ability to understand many natural phenomena such as landslides and earthquakes. Here, we usedata from a GPS and seismometer network that were deployed to monitor the regularly repeating glacial earthquakes of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica to show that a unique pattern of precursory slip precedes complete rupture along the bed of the ice stream. Additionally, we show that rupture can be independently tracked by increased levels of microseismic activity, including harmonic tremor, that are coincident with the onset of slip at any location, thus providing a remote means of monitoring stress and rupture propagation during the glacial earthquakes
Basal characteristics of the main sticky spot on the ice plain of Whillans Ice Stream, Antarctica
Understanding the processes that affect streaming ice flow and the mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets requires sound knowledge of their subglacial environments. Previous studies have shown that an extensive deformable subglacial sediment layer favors fast ice-stream flow. However, areas of high basal drag, termed sticky spots, are of particular interest because they inhibit the fast flow of the overriding ice. The stick-slip behavior of Whillans Ice Stream (WIS) is perhaps the most conspicuous manifestation of a subglacial sticky spot. We present new ice-thickness and seismic-reflection measurements collected over the main sticky spot in the ice plain of WIS, allowing us to elucidate its role in the behavior of the ice stream. Ice-thickness and surface-elevation data show that the sticky spot occupies a subglacial topographic high. Water flow in response to the hydrological potential gradient will be routed around the sticky spot if effective pressures are similar on the sticky spot and elsewhere. The seismic experiment imaged a laterally continuous basal layer approximately 6 m thick, having compressional wave velocities of greater than 1800 m s−1 and density greater than 1800 kg m−3, indicative of a till layer that is stiffer than corresponding till beneath well-lubricated parts of the ice stream. This layer likely continues to deform under the higher shear stress of the sticky spot, and some water may be pumped up onto the sticky spot during motion events
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