3D topography of mantle transition zone beneath Northeast China
:constraints from receiver function with Ps scattering kernel
Abstract
Mantle transition zone (MTZ) is the layer between two seismic upper
mantle discontinuities, which are generally believed to be caused by the
transformation of high-pressure polymorphs of olivine occurred around
depth of 410 km (d410) and 660 km (d660). The fine structure around the
discontinuities, especially the undulation of them can be used to infer
the variation of temperature and/or composition in the deep mantle.
Seismic images have revealed a subhorizontally deflected slab beneath
Northeast China, and thus the seismic mapping of the interaction between
the slab and the deep mantle is important in understanding the mantle
circulation as well as the upper mantle composition. Recently, a
temporary NECsaids Array has been installed, and it consists mainly of
two nearly orthogonal dense profiles with station spacing of 15–20 km,
which provides us an unprecedented opportunity to obtain a
high-resolution 3D topography of the MTZ. Considering the dipping and
stagnant structure of the slab, we used a novel Ps scatter kernel
migration technique to obtain the detailed image of the d410 and d660,
which has been proved to be efficient and better for more complex
structures. Our results show that the boundaries of the subducting
Northwest Pacific slab can be clearly identified in the image, with a
dip angle of about 30° in the MTZ. The depth of the d660 depressed 20 -
40 km around the stagnant part of the subducting slab, which could be
explained with the lower temperature caused by the cold Pacific slab.
Moreover, the d660 is uplifted about 5 - 15 km beneath northwest of
Changbaishan and Longgang Volcano, suggesting that the upwelling feeding
the volcanoes might originate from the MTZ. Apart from the prominent
depression of the d410 observed in the volcanic area, we also observed a
wide-distributed depression of the d410 with value ~10
km over most studied areas, seeming inconsistent with the thermal
anomaly associated with the subduction environment. We argue that subtle
variations of water and/or chemical composition contribute to the
observed depth variation of the d410, and the apparent depressed “410”
can be related to the wet/dry wadsleyite boundary, which might be caused
by the high water content at the top of the MTZ.