Surface wave mode coupling and the validity of the path average approximation in surface waveform inversions: an empirical assessment

We employ an empirical approach to study the phenomenon of surface wave mode conversion due to lateral heterogeneity, and, as an example, assess its impact on a specific waveform inversion methodology used for surface wave tomography. Finite difference modelling in 2-D media, using a method that allows modelling of a single surface wave mode at a time, is combined with frequency domain decomposition of the wavefield onto a basis of local mode eigenfunctions, to illuminate mode conversion as a function of frequency and heterogeneity parameters. Synthetic waveforms generated by the modelling are inverted to study the effects of mode conversion on the inversion process. For heterogeneities in the upper mantle depth range of ∼40–300 km, we find that heterogeneity strengths of about 5 per cent (with sharp lateral boundaries), or lateral boundary length scales of 10–15 times the seismic wavelength (with 10 per cent maximum strength) produce significant mode conversion at periods of 30 s and shorter. These are significant in the sense that, depending on source strength, converted mode amplitudes can be well above typical noise levels in seismology. Correspondingly, waveform inversion with higher modes reveals the inadequacy of the path average approximation at these periods, with the potential for errors as large as 7 per cent in inferred group velocities, which will translate into errors in the inverted shear-velocity structure

Complex shallow mantle beneath the Dharwar craton inferred from Rayleigh wave inversion Geophysical Journal International

The 3-D shear velocity structure beneath South India's Dharwar Craton determined from fundamental mode Rayleigh waves phase velocities reveals the existence of anomalously high velocity materials in the depth range of 50–100 km. Tomographic analysis of seismograms recorded on a network of 35 broad-band seismographs shows the uppermost mantle shear wave speeds to be as high as 4.9 km s–1 in the northwestern Dharwar Craton, decreasing both towards the south and the east. Below ∼100 km, the shear wave speed beneath the Dharwar Craton is close to the global average shear wave speed at these depths. Limitations of usable Rayleigh phase periods, however, have restricted the analysis to depths of 120 km, precluding the delineation of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary in this region. However, pressure–temperature analysis of xenoliths in the region suggests a lithospheric thickness of at least ∼185 km during the mid-Proterozoic period. The investigations were motivated by a search for seismic indicators in the shallow mantle beneath the distinctly different parts of the Dharwar Craton otherwise distinguished by their lithologies, ages and crustal structure. Since the ages of cratonic crust and of the associated mantle lithosphere around the globe have been found to be broadly similar and their compositions bimodal in time, any distinguishing features of the various parts of the Dharwar shallow mantle could thus shed light on the craton formation process responsible for stabilizing the craton during the Meso- and Neo-Archean

The crustal structure of the western Himalayas and Tibet

We present new, high-resolution, shear velocity models for the western Himalayas and West Tibet from the joint inversion of P receiver functions recorded using seismic stations from four arrays in this region and fundamental mode Rayleigh wave group velocity maps from 5–70 s covering Central and Southern Asia. The Tibetan Plateau is a key locality in understanding large-scale continental dynamics. A large number of investigations has examined the structure and processes in eastern Tibet; however, western Tibet remains relatively understudied. Previous studies in this region indicate that the western part of the Tibetan Plateau is not a simple extension of the eastern part. The areas covered by these arrays include the Karakoram and Altan-Tagh faults, and major terrane boundaries in West Tibet and the Himalayas. The arrays used include broadband data collected by the West Tibet Array, a U.S.-China deployment on the western side of the Tibetan Plateau between 2007 and 2011. We use the shear wave velocity models to obtain estimates of Moho depth. The Moho is deep (68–84 km) throughout West Tibet. We do not observe significant steps within the Moho beneath West Tibet. A large step in Moho depth is observed at the Altyn-Tagh fault, where Moho depths are 20–30 km shallower to the north of the fault compared to those to the south. Beneath the Lhasa Terrane and Tethyan Himalayas, we observe a low-velocity zone in the midcrust. This feature is not interrupted by the Karakoram Fault, suggesting that the Karakoram Fault does not cut through the entire crust

Shear velocity model for the Kyrgyz Tien Shan from joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave data

The Tien Shan is the largest active intracontinental orogenic belt on Earth. To better understand the processes causing mountains to form at great distances from a plate boundary, we analyse passive source seismic data collected on 40 broad band stations of the MANAS project (2005-2007) and 12 stations of the permanent KRNET seismic network to determine variations in crustal thickness and shear wavespeed across the range. We jointly invert P- and S-wave receiver functions with surface wave observations from both earthquakes and ambient noise to reduce the ambiguity inherent in the images obtained from the techniques applied individually. Inclusion of ambient noise data improves constraints on the upper crust by allowing dispersion measurements to be made at shorter periods. Joint inversion can also reduce the ambiguity in interpretation by revealing the extent to which various features in the receiver functions are amplified or eliminated by interference from multiples. The resulting wavespeed model shows a variation in crustal thickness across the range. We find that crustal velocities extend to ∼ 75 km beneath the Kokshaal Range, which we attribute to underthrusting of the Tarim Basin beneath the southern Tien Shan. This result supports the plate model of intracontinental convergence. Crustal thickness elsewhere beneath the range is about 50 km, including beneath the Naryn Valley in the central Tien Shan where previous studies reported a shallow Moho. This difference apparently is the result of wavespeed variations in the upper crust that were not previously taken into account. Finally, a high velocity lid appears in the upper mantle of the Central and Northern part of the Tien Shan, which we interpret as a remnant of material that may have delaminated elsewhere under the range.km, including beneath the Naryn Valley in the central Tien Shan where previous studies reported a shallow Moho. This difference apparently is the result of wavespeed variations in the upper crust that were not previously taken into account. Finally, a high velocity lid appears in the upper mantle of the Central and Northern part of the Tien Shan, which we interpret as a remnant of material that may have delaminated elsewhere under the range.This is the final published version. It's also available from Oxford Journals at http://gji.oxfordjournals.org/content/199/1/480.full

Ambient noise tomography reveals upper crustal structure of Icelandic rifts

The structure of oceanic spreading centres and subsurface melt distribution within newly formed crust is largely understood from marine seismic experiments. In Iceland, however, sub-aerial rift elevation allows both accurate surface mapping and the installation of large broadband seismic arrays. We present a study using ambient noise Rayleigh wave tomography to image the volcanic spreading centres across Iceland. Our high resolution model images a continuous band of low seismic velocities, parallelling all three segments of the branched rift in Iceland. The upper 10 km contains strong velocity variations, with shear wave velocities 0.5 km s$^{−1}$ faster in the older non-volcanically active regions compared to the active rifts. Slow velocities correlate very closely with geological surface mapping, with contours of the anomalies parallelling the edges of the neo-volcanic zones. The low-velocity band extends to the full 50 km width of the neo-volcanic zones, demonstrating a significant contrast with the narrow (8 km wide) magmatic zone seen at fast spreading ridges, where the rate of melt supply is similarly high. Within the seismically slow rift band, the lowest velocity cores of the anomalies occur above the centre of the mantle plume under the Vatnajökull icecap, and in the Eastern Volcanic Zone under the central volcano Katla. This suggests localisation of melt accumulation at these specific volcanic centres, demonstrating variability in melt supply into the shallow crust along the rift axis. Shear velocity inversions with depth show that the strongest velocity contrasts are found in the upper 8 km, and show a slight depression in the shear velocity through the mid crust (10–20 km) in the rifts. Our model also shows less intensity to the slow rift anomaly in the Western Volcanic Zone, supporting the notion that rift activity here is decreasing as the ridge jumps to the Eastern Volcanic Zone.Seismometers were borrowed from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) SEIS-UK (loans 968 and 1022). The work was funded by a graduate studentship from the NERC and research grants from the NERC (grants NE/F01140711, NE/M017427/1, NE/H025006/1) and the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme Grant No. 308377 (FUTUREVOLC) ... IMAGE project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement number 608553. Stations for this project were provided by the Geophysical Instrument Pool of Potsdam (GFZ). Dept. Earth Sciences, Cambridge contribution number ESC3818

Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19.

Host-mediated lung inflammation is present1, and drives mortality2, in the critical illness caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Host genetic variants associated with critical illness may identify mechanistic targets for therapeutic development3. Here we report the results of the GenOMICC (Genetics Of Mortality In Critical Care) genome-wide association study in 2,244 critically ill patients with COVID-19 from 208 UK intensive care units. We have identified and replicated the following new genome-wide significant associations: on chromosome 12q24.13 (rs10735079, P = 1.65 × 10-8) in a gene cluster that encodes antiviral restriction enzyme activators (OAS1, OAS2 and OAS3); on chromosome 19p13.2 (rs74956615, P = 2.3 × 10-8) near the gene that encodes tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2); on chromosome 19p13.3 (rs2109069, P = 3.98 ×  10-12) within the gene that encodes dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9); and on chromosome 21q22.1 (rs2236757, P = 4.99 × 10-8) in the interferon receptor gene IFNAR2. We identified potential targets for repurposing of licensed medications: using Mendelian randomization, we found evidence that low expression of IFNAR2, or high expression of TYK2, are associated with life-threatening disease; and transcriptome-wide association in lung tissue revealed that high expression of the monocyte-macrophage chemotactic receptor CCR2 is associated with severe COVID-19. Our results identify robust genetic signals relating to key host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage in COVID-19. Both mechanisms may be amenable to targeted treatment with existing drugs. However, large-scale randomized clinical trials will be essential before any change to clinical practice

Common, low-frequency, rare, and ultra-rare coding variants contribute to COVID-19 severity

The combined impact of common and rare exonic variants in COVID-19 host genetics is currently insufficiently understood. Here, common and rare variants from whole-exome sequencing data of about 4000 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals were used to define an interpretable machine-learning model for predicting COVID-19 severity. First, variants were converted into separate sets of Boolean features, depending on the absence or the presence of variants in each gene. An ensemble of LASSO logistic regression models was used to identify the most informative Boolean features with respect to the genetic bases of severity. The Boolean features selected by these logistic models were combined into an Integrated PolyGenic Score that offers a synthetic and interpretable index for describing the contribution of host genetics in COVID-19 severity, as demonstrated through testing in several independent cohorts. Selected features belong to ultra-rare, rare, low-frequency, and common variants, including those in linkage disequilibrium with known GWAS loci. Noteworthily, around one quarter of the selected genes are sex-specific. Pathway analysis of the selected genes associated with COVID-19 severity reflected the multi-organ nature of the disease. The proposed model might provide useful information for developing diagnostics and therapeutics, while also being able to guide bedside disease management. © 2021, The Author(s)

Shear velocity model for the Kyrgyz Tien Shan from joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave data

The Tien Shan is the largest active intracontinental orogenic belt on Earth. To better understand the processes causing mountains to form at great distances from a plate boundary, we analyse passive source seismic data collected on 40 broad-band stations of the MANAS project (2005–2007) and 12 stations of the permanent KRNET seismic network to determine variations in crustal thickness and shear wave speed across the range. We jointly invert P- and S-wave receiver functions with surface wave observations from both earthquakes and ambient noise to reduce the ambiguity inherent in the images obtained from the techniques applied individually. Inclusion of ambient noise data improves constraints on the upper crust by allowing dispersion measurements to be made at shorter periods. Joint inversion can also reduce the ambiguity in interpretation by revealing the extent to which various features in the receiver functions are amplified or eliminated by interference from multiples. The resulting wave speed model shows a variation in crustal thickness across the range. We find that crustal velocities extend to \~75 km beneath the Kokshaal Range, which we attribute to underthrusting of the Tarim Basin beneath the southern Tien Shan. This result supports the plate model of intracontinental convergence. Crustal thickness elsewhere beneath the range is about 50 km, including beneath the Naryn Valley in the central Tien Shan where previous studies reported a shallow Moho. This difference apparently is the result of wave speed variations in the upper crust that were not previously taken into account. Finally, a high velocity lid appears in the upper mantle of the Central and Northern part of the Tien Shan, which we interpret as a remnant of material that may have delaminated elsewhere under the rang

Shear wave velocity structure beneath the Archaean granites around Hyderabad, inferred from receiver function analysis

Broadband receiver functions abstracted from teleseismicP waveforms recorded by a 3-component Streckeisen seismograph at Hyderabad, have been inverted to constrain the shear velocity structure of the underlying crust. Receiver functions obtained from the Hyderabad records of both shallow and intermediate focus earthquakes lying in different station-event azimuths, show a remarkable coherence in arrival times and shapes of the significant shear wave phases:Ps, PpPs, PsPs/PpSs, indicating horizontal stratification within the limits of resolution. This is also supported by the relatively small observed amplitudes of the tangential component receiver functions which are less than 10% of the corresponding radial component. Results of several hundred inversions of stacked receiver functions from closely clustered events (within 2°), show that the crust beneath the Hyderabad granites has a thickness of 36 ± 1 km, consisting of a 10 km thick top layer in which shear wave velocity is 3.54 ± 0.07 km/sec, underlain by a 26 ± 1 km thick lower crust in which the shear wave velocity varies uniformly with a small gradient of 0.02 km/sec/km. The shear wave velocity at its base is 4.1 ± 0.05 km/sec, just above the moho transition zone which is constrained to be less than 4 km thick, overlying a 4.74 ±0.1 km/sec half space

Velocity structure of the upper mantle discontinuities beneath North America from waveform inversion of broadband seismic data using a genetic algorithm

International audienceWe present a velocity structure of the mantle discontinuities beneath the United States from a full waveform inversion of broadband seismic data. The data consist of 10 moderate earthquakes in the western United States that were recorded on 13 broadband seismometers across the United States operated by the U.S. National Seismic Network. A total of 36 seismograms with distance ranging from 1150 to 2700 km were used. A full waveform inversion based on two-dimensional modeling and one-dimensional inversion methods using a genetic algorithm was adopted. The inversion method is objective, provides error bounds on the model, and does not require any a priori information about these discontinuities. We find that the upper discontinuity is ∼10 km thick, from 395 to 405 km, where the velocity increases from 8.80 to 9.15 km s-1 with a velocity gradient of 0.035 s-1. The lower discontinuity is ∼5 km thick, occurring over a depth range of 650-655 km, where the velocity increases from 10.20 to 10.70 km s-1. Our results are in agreement with previous studies of the lower discontinuity but do not agree for a sharp (<5 km) upper mantle discontinuity