Deep mantle deformation near Australia linked to large low velocity
province and mantle upwelling
Abstract
Observations of seismic anisotropy are a powerful tool to explore
deformation and flow in the deep mantle. Recent work has explored how
flow in the deepest mantle interacts with major structures such as
subducting slab remnants, large low velocity provinces (LLVPs), and
mantle plumes. However, a comprehensive framework describing the
patterns and drivers of flow in the mantle’s bottom boundary layer is
only starting to emerge. Here we target the lowermost mantle beneath
Australia and the surrounding region, which encompasses slab remnants,
the edge of the Pacific LLVP, and a previously identified possible
mantle plume that has not yet reached the surface. We apply a recently
developed approach that relies on array processing of SmKS phases, which
increases signal-to-noise ratios and enables analysis of low-amplitude
phases such as S3KS. We supplement our differential SmKS splitting
measurements with analyses of ScS phases that sample our study area. We
infer strong seismic anisotropy in localized regions, including along
the southwestern edge of the Pacific LLVP and in a region south of
Australia that is dominated by high seismic velocities. To provide an
interpretive framework for our observations, we compare them with the
results of instantaneous mantle flow models and with whole-mantle S wave
tomography models. Our results support an emerging view of lowermost
mantle dynamics that involves slab-driven flow, interactions between
mantle flow and structures such as LLVPs, and strong deformation at the
root of mantle plumes, including a plume that has not yet reached the
surface.