SASSIER22: Full-waveform tomography of the eastern Indonesian region
that includes surface topography and the fluid ocean
Abstract
We present a new 3-D seismic structural model of the eastern Indonesian
region and its surroundings from full-waveform inversion (FWI) that
exploits seismic data filtered at periods between 15 - 150 s. SASSY21 -
a recent 3-D FWI tomographic model of Southeast Asia - is used as a
starting model, and our study region is characterized by particularly
good data coverage, which facilitates a more refined image. We use the
spectral-element solver Salvus to determine the full 3-D wavefield,
accounting for the fluid ocean explicitly by solving a coupled system of
acoustic and elastic wave equations. This is computationally more
expensive but allows seismic waves within the water layer to be
simulated, which becomes important for periods ≤ 20 s. We investigate
path-dependent effects of surface elevation (topography and bathymetry)
and the fluid ocean on synthetic waveforms, and compare our final model
to the tomographic result obtained with the frequently used ocean
loading approximation. Furthermore, we highlight some of the key
features of our final model - SASSIER22 - after 34 L-BFGS iterations,
which reveals detailed anomalies down to the mantle transition zone,
including a convergent double-subduction zone along the southern segment
of the Philippine Trench, which was not evident in the starting model. A
more detailed illumination of the slab beneath the North Sulawesi Trench
reveals a pronounced positive wavespeed anomaly down to 200 km depth,
consistent with the maximum depth of seismicity, and a more diffuse but
aseismic positive wavespeed anomaly that continues to the 410 km
discontinuity.