Seismic evidence for a tilted mantle plume and north–south mantle flow beneath Iceland

Post-print / lokagerð höfundaShear waves converted from compressional waves at mantle discontinuities near 410- and 660-km depth recorded by two broadband seismic experiments in Iceland reveal that the center of an area of anomalously thin mantle transition zone lies at least 100 km south of the upper-mantle low-velocity anomaly imaged tomographically beneath the hotspot. This offset is evidence for a tilted plume conduit in the upper mantle, the result of either northward flow of the Icelandic asthenosphere or southward flow of the upper part of the lower mantle in a no-net-rotation reference frame.Peer Reviewe

Imaging the mantle beneath Iceland using integrated seismological techniques

Using a combination of body wave and surface wave data sets to reveal the mantle plume and plume head, this study presents a tomographic image of the mantle structure beneath Iceland to 400 km depth. Data comes primarily from the PASSCAL-HOTSPOT deployment of 30 broadband instruments over a period of 2 years, and is supplemented by data from the SIL and ICEMELT networks. Three sets of relative teleseismic body wave arrival times are generated through cross correlation: S and SKS arrivals at 0.03–0.1 Hz, and P and PKIKP arrivals at 0.03–0.1 and 0.8–2.0 Hz. Prior to inversion the crustal portion of the travel time anomalies is removed using the crustal model ICECRTb. This step has a significant effect on the mantle velocity variations imaged down to a depth of ∼250 km. Inversion of relative arrival times only provides information on lateral velocity variations. Surface waves are therefore used to provide absolute velocity information for the uppermost mantle beneath Iceland. The average wave number for the Love wave fundamental mode at 0.020 and 0.024 Hz is measured and used to invert for the average S velocity. Combination of the body wave and surface wave information reveals a predominantly horizontal low-velocity anomaly extending from the Moho down to ∼250 km depth, interpreted as a plume head. Below the plume head a near-cylindrical low-velocity anomaly with a radius of ∼100 km and peak VP and VS anomalies of −2% and −4%, respectively, extends down to the maximum depth of resolution at 400 km. Within the plume head, in the uppermost mantle above the core of the plume, there is a relatively high velocity with a maximum VP and VS anomaly of +2%. This high-velocity anomaly may be the result of the extreme degree of melt extraction necessary to generate the thick (46 km) crust in central Iceland. Comparison of the plume volumetric flux implied by our images, the crustal generation rate, and the degree of melting suggested by rare earth element inversions, suggests that (1) mantle material must be flowing horizontally away from the plume core faster than the overlying lithosphere and (2) the bulk of the plume material does not participate in melting beneath Iceland

Correction to “Multiple melt injection along a spreading segment at Askja, Iceland”

In the paper “ Multiple melt injection along a spreading segment at Askja, Iceland ” by Janet Key et al. (Geophysical Research Letters, 38, L05301, doi:10.1029/2010GL046264, 2011), we regret that an error was made in the calculation of the V p /V s ratios. The correct values are presented in this revised version of Figure 2 and its caption. This change does not affect either the hypocentral locations, for which we used the correct mean V p /V s value of 1.78, nor the overall conclusions of our paper. We still find evidence for relatively elevated V p /V s ratios from the lower crustal earthquakes, consistent with the presence of melt in the lower crust. However the following corrections to the text should be made in light of this discovery

3D-ambient noise Rayleigh wave tomography of Snæfellsjökull volcano, Iceland

From May to September 2013, 21 seismic stations were deployed around the Snæfellsjökull volcano, Iceland. We cross-correlate the five months of seismic noise and measure the Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion curves to gain more information about the geological structure of the Snæfellsjökull volcano. In particular, we investigate the occurrence of seismic wave anomalies in the first 6 km of crust. We regionalize the group velocity dispersion curves into 2-D velocity maps between 0.9 and 4.8 s. With a neighborhood algorithm we then locally invert the velocity maps to obtain accurate shear-velocity models down to 6 km depth. Our study highlights three seismic wave anomalies. The deepest, located between approximately 3.3 and 5.5 km depth, is a high velocity anomaly, possibly representing a solidified magma chamber. The second anomaly is also a high velocity anomaly east of the central volcano that starts at the surface and reaches approximately 2.5 km depth. It may represent a gabbroic intrusion or a dense swarm of inclined magmatic sheets (similar to the dike swarms found in the ophiolites), typical of Icelandic volcanic systems. The third anomaly is a low velocity anomaly extending up to 1.5 km depth. This anomaly, located directly below the volcanic edifice, may be interpreted either as a shallow magmatic reservoir (typical of Icelandic central volcanoes), or alternatively as a shallow hydrothermal system developed above the cooling magmatic reservoir

Scaling and spatial complementarity of tectonic earthquake swarms

Tectonic earthquake swarms (TES) often coincide with aseismic slip and sometimes precede damaging earthquakes. In spite of recent progress in understanding the significance and properties of TES at plate boundaries, their mechanics and scaling are still largely uncertain. Here we evaluate several TES that occurred during the past 20 years on a transform plate boundary in North Iceland. We show that the swarms complement each other spatially with later swarms discouraged from fault segments activated by earlier swarms, which suggests efficient strain release and aseismic slip. The fault area illuminated by earthquakes during swarms may be more representative of the total moment release than the cumulative moment of the swarm earthquakes. We use these findings and other published results from a variety of tectonic settings to discuss general scaling properties for TES. The results indicate that the importance of TES in releasing tectonic strain at plate boundaries may have been underestimated

The EPICA Dronning Maud Land deep drilling operation

We report on the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica) deep drilling operation. Starting with the scientific questions that led to the outline of the EPICA project, we introduce the setting of sister drillings at NorthGRIP and EPICA Dome C within the European ice-coring community. The progress of the drilling operation is described within the context of three parallel, deep-drilling operations, the problems that occurred and the solutions we developed. Modified procedures are described, such as the monitoring of penetration rate via cable weight rather than motor torque, and modifications to the system (e.g. closing the openings at the lower end of the outer barrel to reduce the risk of immersing the drill in highly concentrated chip suspension). Parameters of the drilling (e.g. core-break force, cutter pitch, chips balance, liquid level, core production rate and piece number) are discussed. We also review the operational mode, particularly in the context of achieved core length and piece length, which have to be optimized for drilling efficiency and core quality respectively. We conclude with recommendations addressing the design of the chip-collection openings and strictly limiting the cable-load drop with respect to the load at the start of the run