A narrow, mid-mantle plume below southern Africa

New waveform tomographic evidence displays a narrow plume-like feature emitting from the top of the large African low-velocity structure in the lower mantle. A detailed SKS wavefield is assembled for a segment along the structure's southern edge by combining multiple events recorded by a seismic array in the Kaapvaal region of southern Africa. With a new processing technique that emphases multi-pathing, we locate a relatively jagged, sloping wall 1000 km high with low velocities near it's basal edge. Forward modeling indicates that the plume's diameter is less than 150 km and consistent with an iso-chemical, low-viscosity plume conduit

Dynamics of a phase change at the base of the mantle consistent with seismological observations

The phase change model for the origin of the D″ seismic discontinuity is tested by comparing the results of convection modeling with seismic observations. We compute a number of global dynamic models that incorporate a phase change at the base of the mantle with different characteristics and transform the resulting temperature field and the distribution of phases to seismic velocities. Over 900 two-dimensional synthetic waveforms are computed for each of the models from which S, ScS, and Scd phases are picked. The distribution of the relative amplitudes and differential travel time residuals for these phases are statistically compared with the distribution of data from four well studied regions (northern Siberia, Alaska, India, and Central America) in a search for the characteristics of a phase transition that best match these seismic observations. We find that the best fit among the models considered is obtained for phase transitions characterized by a Clapeyron slope of ∼6 MPa K−1 and an elevation above the core-mantle boundary of ∼150 km under adiabatic temperature or 127 GPa and 2650 K on a (P,T) diagram. Dynamic models demonstrate that the value of Clapeyron slope and the density difference between the phases can have significant influence on the dynamics of plumes but probably only a minor influence on the dynamics of subducted slabs. We find that the thermal structure of subducted slabs can be important in giving rise to the seismic triplication; the strongest Scd arrivals in our models are observed in the area of subduction. The folding of the slab at the base of the mantle leads to patterns in differential travel time distributions consistent with seismic observations and suggests that the largest heterogeneity occurs at the top of the D″ layer or just above it. Analysis of the spatial autocorrelation functions of the differential travel time residuals suggests that their characteristic peaks reflect the patterns of slab folding and may provide constraints on the rheology of slabs at the base of the mantle

A dipping, thick segment of the Farallon Slab beneath Central US

It has been hypothesized that much of the crustal deformation attributed to the Laramide orogeny of the southwest North American Cordillera was caused by dynamic effects induced by the flat subduction of a large oceanic plateau that was embedded within the Farallon plate. Previous studies have identified within the North American mantle a seismic velocity anomaly that plausibly represents the remnants of the subducted plateau. Coupled plate kinematic and dynamic modeling of the anomaly, as well as surface geological findings identify this anomaly as the subducted conjugate to the Shatsky Rise. Here, we find clear evidence for a northeastward dipping (35° dip), thick (up to 400 km thick) slab-like seismic velocity anomaly within the top of the lower mantle below the central United States. Using a deep focus earthquake below Spain, we find that the observed seismic waveforms recorded with the dense USArray display multi-pathing indicative of sharp surfaces. Plate tectonic reconstructions in which the anomaly is migrated back in time suggest strong coupling of the plateau-thickened slab segment to the overriding North America Plate as it was subducted. In combination with the reconstructions, we interpret the structure as arising from eastward dipping Farallon subduction at the western margin of North America during the Cretaceous, in contrast with some recent interpretations. It appears that the plateau area of the slab has been further thickened, which might undergo a combination of pure shear bulk shortening during flat-slab subduction and/or by a folding instability during penetration into the lower mantle

Hidden hotspot track beneath the eastern United States

Hotspot tracks are thought to be the surface expressions of tectonic plates moving over upwelling mantle plumes, and are characterized by volcanic activity that is age progressive. At present, most hotspot tracks are observed on oceanic or thin continental lithosphere. For old, thick continental lithosphere, such as the eastern United States, hotspot tracks are mainly inferred from sporadic diamondiferous kimberlites putatively sourced from the deep mantle. Here we use seismic waveforms initiated by the 2011 M_w 5.6 Virginia earthquake, recorded by the seismic observation network USArray, to analyse the structure of the continental lithosphere in the eastern United States. We identify an unexpected linear seismic anomaly in the lower lithosphere that has both a reduced P-wave velocity and high attenuation, and which we interpret as a hotspot track. The anomaly extends eastwards, from Missouri to Virginia, cross-cutting the New Madrid rift system, and then bends northwards. It has no clear relationship with the surface geology, but crosses a 75-million-year-old kimberlite in Kentucky. We use geodynamical modelling to show that an upwelling thermal mantle plume that interacts with the base of continental lithosphere can produce the observed seismic anomaly. We suggest that the hotspot track could be responsible for late Mesozoic reactivation of the New Madrid rift system and seismicity of the eastern United States

Subducting slab ultra-slow velocity layer coincident with silent earthquakes in southern Mexico

Great earthquakes have repeatedly occurred on the plate interface in a few shallow-dipping subduction zones where the subducting and overriding plates are strongly locked. Silent earthquakes (or slow slip events) were recently discovered at the down-dip extension of the locked zone and interact with the earthquake cycle. Here, we show that locally observed converted SP arrivals and teleseismic underside reflections that sample the top of the subducting plate in southern Mexico reveal that the ultra-slow velocity layer (USL) varies spatially (3 to 5 kilometers, with an S-wave velocity of ~2.0 to 2.7 kilometers per second). Most slow slip patches coincide with the presence of the USL, and they are bounded by the absence of the USL. The extent of the USL delineates the zone of transitional frictional behavior

Upper mantle surprises derived from the recent Virginia earthquake waveform data

Recent high resolution regional waveform modeling reveals that the lithosphere beneath the North American craton is subdivided into an upper nearly uniform layer and a lower layer with a high velocity gradient. The boundary occurs at about a depth of 115 km and is responsible for 8° discontinuity in seismic record sections that is often observed in craton environments. Unexpectedly, we find seismic velocities in the lower layer significantly reduced along a corridor from the New Madrid rift zone to Virginia. This reduced velocity in the lower lithosphere may be associated with a possible historic hotspot activity. We also find a well developed X-discontinuity that we model as a ∼3% increase in P velocity starting at a depth of ∼290 km. These anomalous features transition into a nearly 1D craton structure to the north with a strong low-velocity anomaly just above the 410 discontinuity along an east–west boundary. The latter two features may be relics of structures formed from the descending Farallon plate between Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary

Comparing algorithms for automated vessel segmentation in computed tomography scans of the lung: the VESSEL12 study

The VESSEL12 (VESsel SEgmentation in the Lung) challenge objectively compares the performance of different algorithms to identify vessels in thoracic computed tomography (CT) scans. Vessel segmentation is fundamental in computer aided processing of data generated by 3D imaging modalities. As manual vessel segmentation is prohibitively time consuming, any real world application requires some form of automation. Several approaches exist for automated vessel segmentation, but judging their relative merits is difficult due to a lack of standardized evaluation. We present an annotated reference dataset containing 20 CT scans and propose nine categories to perform a comprehensive evaluation of vessel segmentation algorithms from both academia and industry. Twenty algorithms participated in the VESSEL12 challenge, held at International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI) 2012. All results have been published at the VESSEL12 website http://vessel12.grand-challenge.org. The challenge remains ongoing and open to new participants. Our three contributions are: (1) an annotated reference dataset available online for evaluation of new algorithms; (2) a quantitative scoring system for objective comparison of algorithms; and (3) performance analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the various vessel segmentation methods in the presence of various lung diseases.Rudyanto, RD.; Kerkstra, S.; Van Rikxoort, EM.; Fetita, C.; Brillet, P.; Lefevre, C.; Xue, W.... (2014). Comparing algorithms for automated vessel segmentation in computed tomography scans of the lung: the VESSEL12 study. Medical Image Analysis. 18(7):1217-1232. doi:10.1016/j.media.2014.07.003S1217123218