Shear Wave Splitting and Mantle Flow in the Vicinity of the North
American-Caribbean Plate Boundary in Central America
Abstract
Azimuthal anisotropy quantified by teleseismic SKS, SKKS, PKS (“XKS”)
and Local S wave splitting parameters is used to investigate mantle
deformation and flow beneath the boundary of the North American and
Caribbean plates and adjacent areas. A total of 2556 XKS and 299 pairs
of local S wave splitting parameters were obtained at 23 stations. The
observations can be divided into two groups based on the spatial
distribution of the resulting fast polarization orientations. Those
observed on the Caribbean Plate are mostly WNW-ESE which are mostly
trench-parallel. In contrast, the fast orientations observed on the
North American Plate are dominantly NNE-SSW which are approximately
trench-orthogonal and are consistent with those previously observed in
southern Mexico to the north of the area of the current study. At most
of the stations at which XKS and local S wave splitting parameters are
available, the splitting parameters from the two types of shear waves
are comparable, suggesting that the observed azimuthal anisotropy is
mostly from the mantle wedge above the slab. The observations especially
those obtained at recently deployed stations in Guatemala provide new
insights into the complicated mantle flow system associated with slab
subduction and rollback, as well as lithospheric shearing along the
southern boundary of the North American Plate.