Abstract
The thermal regime of continental lithosphere plays a fundamental role
in controlling the behavior of tectonic plates. In this work, we assess
the thermal state of the North American upper mantle by combining
shear-wave velocity models calculated using data from the EarthScope
facility with empirically-derived anelasticity models and basalt
thermobarometry. We estimate the depth to the thermal
lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB), defined as the intersection of
a geotherm with the 1300° C adiabat. Results show lithospheric
thicknesses across the contiguous US vary between ~40 km
and > 200 km. The thinnest thermal lithosphere is observed
in the tectonically active western US and the thickest lithosphere in
the mid-continent. By combining geotherm estimates with solidus curves
for peridotite, we show that a pervasive partial melt zone is common
within the western US upper mantle and that partial melt is absent in
the eastern and central US without significant metasomatism.