FACCENDA AND CAPITANIO: SEISMIC ANISOTROPY

[1] Inferring the circulation of the mantle around subducting plates from surface measurements of shear wave splitting patterns remains to date elusive. To assist the interpretation of the seismic signal and its relation with the mantle circulation pattern, we present a new methodology to compute the seismic anisotropy directly from the flow in the upper mantle of 3-D numerical models of Earth-like subduction. This computational strategy accounts for the non-steady-state evolution of subduction zones yielding mantle fabrics that are more consistent with the deformation history than previously considered. In the subduction models, a strong mantle fabric develops throughout the upper mantle with a magnitude of the anisotropy that is proportional to the amount of subduction and is independent of the subduction rate. The sub-slab upper mantle is characterized by two domains with different fabrics: at shallow depth, the mantle entrained with the subducting slab develops trench-perpendicular directed anisotropy due to simple shear deformation, while in the deeper mantle, slab rollback induces pure shear deformation causing trench-parallel extension and fast seismic directions. Subducting plate advance favors the development of the fabric in the entrained mantle domain, while slab retreat increases the trench-parallel anisotropy in the deeper upper mantle. In the deeper domain, the strength of the fabric is proportional to the horizontal divergence of the flow and weakens from the slab edges toward the center. As such, strong trench-parallel anisotropy forms below retreating and relatively narrow slabs or at the margins of wider plates. The synthetic SKS splitting patterns calculated in the fore arc are controlled by the magnitude of the anisotropy in the upper domain, with trench-perpendicular fast azimuths in the center of large plates and trench parallel toward the plate edges. Instead, above relatively narrow, retreating slabs (≤600 km and low subduction partitioning ratio [SPR]), azimuths are trench parallel due to the strong anisotropy in the lower sub-slab domain. In all models, the anisotropy in the back arc and on the sides of the subducting plate is, respectively, trench perpendicular and sub-parallel to the return flow at depth. Results from our regional scale models may help to infer the flow and composition of the upper mantle by comparison with the wide range of subduction zones seismic data observed globally

Representing anisotropic subduction zones with isotropic velocity models: A characterization of the problem and some steps on a possible path forward

Despite the widely known fact that mantle flow in and around subduction zones produces the development of considerable seismic anisotropy, most P-wave tomography efforts still rely on the assumption of isotropy. In this study, we explore the potential effects of erroneous assumption on tomographic images and explore an alternative approach. We conduct a series of synthetic tomography tests based on a geodynamic simulation of subduction and rollback. The simulation results provide a self-consistent distribution of isotropic (thermal) anomalies and seismic anisotropy which we use to calculate synthetic delay times for a number of realistic and hypothetical event distributions. We find that anisotropy-induced artifacts are abundant and significant for teleseismic, local and mixed event distributions. The occurrence of artifacts is not reduced, and indeed can be exacerbated, by increasing richness in ray-path azimuths and incidence angles. The artifacts that we observe are, in all cases, important enough to significantly impact the interpretation of the images. We test an approach based on prescribing the anisotropy field as an a priori constraint and find that even coarse approximations to the true anisotropy field produce useful results. Using approximate anisotropy, fields can result in reduced RMS misfit to the travel time delays and reduced abundance and severity of imaging artifacts. We propose that the use of anisotropy fields derived from geodynamic modeling and constrained by seismic observables may constitute a viable alternative to isotropic tomography that does not require the inversion for anisotropy parameters in each node of the model

Ubiquitous lower-mantle anisotropy beneath subduction zones

Seismic anisotropy provides key information to map the trajectories of mantle flow and understand the evolution of our planet. While the presence of anisotropy in the uppermost mantle is well established, the existence and nature of anisotropy in the transition zone and uppermost lower mantle are still debated. Here we use three-dimensional global seismic tomography images based on a large dataset that is sensitive to this region to show the ubiquitous presence of anisotropy in the lower mantle beneath subduction zones. Whereas above the 660 km seismic discontinuity slabs are associated with fast SV anomalies up to about 3%, in the lower mantle fast SH anomalies of about 2% persist near slabs down to about 1,000–1,200 km. These observations are consistent with 3D numerical models of deformation from subducting slabs and the associated lattice-preferred orientation of bridgmanite produced in the dislocation creep regime in areas subjected to high stresses. This study provides evidence that dislocation creep may be active in the Earth’s lower mantle, providing new constraints on the debated nature of deformation in this key, but inaccessible, component of the deep Earth

Extrinsic elastic anisotropy in a compositionally heterogeneous Earth's mantle

Several theoretical studies indicate that a substantial fraction of the measured seismic anisotropy could be interpreted as extrinsic anisotropy associated with compositional layering in rocks, reducing the significance of strain‐induced intrinsic anisotropy. Here, we quantify the potential contribution of grain‐scale and rock‐scale compositional anisotropy to the observations by (i) combining effective medium theories with realistic estimates of mineral isotropic elastic properties, and (ii) measuring velocities of synthetic seismic waves propagating through modelled strain‐induced microstructures. It is shown that for typical mantle and oceanic crust sub‐solidus compositions, rock‐scale compositional layering does not generate any substantial extrinsic anisotropy (<1%) because of the limited contrast in isotropic elastic moduli among different rocks. Quasi‐laminated structures observed in subducting slabs using P‐ and S‐ wave scattering are often invoked as a source of extrinsic anisotropy, but our calculations show that they only generate minor seismic anisotropy (<0.1‐0.2% of Vp and Vs radial anisotropy). More generally, rock‐scale compositional layering, when present, cannot be detected with seismic anisotropy studies, but mainly with wave scattering. In contrast, when grain‐scale layering is present, significant extrinsic anisotropy could exist in vertically limited levels of the mantle such as in a MORB‐rich lower transition zone or in the uppermost lower mantle where foliated basalts and pyrolites display up to 2‐3% Vp and 3‐6% Vs radial anisotropy. Thus, seismic anisotropy observed around the 660 km discontinuity could be possibly related to grain‐scale SPO. Extrinsic anisotropy can form also in a compositionally homogeneous mantle, where velocity variations associated with major phase transitions can generate up to 1% of positive radial anisotropy