loading page

Link between crustal thickness and Moho transition zone at 9oN East Pacific Rise
  • Zhikai Wang,
  • Satish Chandra Singh,
  • Juan Pablo Canales
Zhikai Wang
University of Southampton

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Satish Chandra Singh
Institut De Physique Du Globe De Paris
Author Profile
Juan Pablo Canales
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Author Profile

Abstract

Oceanic crust at fast-spreading ridges is formed by melt percolating through the Mohorovičić Transition Zone (MTZ), the boundary between crust and mantle. However, the relationship between the crustal structures and MTZ remains elusive. Applying full waveform inversion to wide-angle seismic data acquired near the 9oN East Pacific Rise, we show that the variations in crustal MTZ thicknesses are inversely correlated along the segment, although their total cumulative thickness shows little variations. These variations could be attributed to different melt migration efficiency through MTZ or variation in mantle thermal structures. Thin MTZ could be due to rapid percolation of melt from mantle to crust whereas the thick MTZ results from the crystallization of melt within the transition zone. On the other hand, for relatively hot segments, melt will accumulate at shallower depth within the lower crust. In contrast, melt could freeze at Moho depth for relatively cold segments thickening the MTZ.
01 Apr 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
12 Apr 2024Published in ESS Open Archive