Abstract
THE deformation of the upper mantle beneath a collisional belt is key to the dynamics of the belt, but this deformation is difficult to observe. Seismic azimuthal anisotropy manifested by shear-wave splitting provides the best geophysical evidence of deformation in the upper mantle. Here we use observations of shear-wave splitting to investigate deformation in the upper mantle beneath the Tien Shan in Central Asia. We find that underneath most of the Tien Shan the fast direction of azimuthal anisotropy is roughly parallel to the axis of the belt, but it deviates by nearly 90° where the upper mantle is anomalously hot. The former relationship, previously observed in other collisional belts, seems to be usual for this environment. The anomalous directions, however, provide evidence of a rising plume beneath the range, suggesting more generally that the along-strike flow of the mantle beneath collisional belts is a reflection of thermally driven convection.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Nicolas, A. & Poirier, J. P. Crystalline Plasticity and Solid State Flow in Metamorphic Rocks, 444 (Wiley, London, 1976).
McKenzie, D. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc 58, 687–715 (1979).
Nicolas, A. & Christensen, N. I. Formation of Anisotropy in Upper Mantle Peridotites: a Review (Am. Geophys, Un., Washington DC, 1987).
Ribe, N. M. J. geophys. Res. 94, 4213–4223 (1989).
Ribe, N. M. & Yu, Y. J. geophys. Res. 96, 8325–8335 (1991).
Babuska, V. & Cara, M. Seismic Anisotropy in the Earth (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1991).
Vinnik, L. P., Kosarev, G. L. & Makeyeva, L. I. Dokl. Akad. Nauk USSR (in Russian) 278, 1335–1339 (1984).
Kind, R., Kosarev, G. L., Makeyeva, L. I. & Vinnik, L. P. Nature 318, 358–361 (1985).
Silver, P. G. & Chan, W. W. Nature 335, 34–39 (1988).
Vinnik, L. P., Farra, V. & Romanowicz, B. Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 79, 1542–1558 (1989).
Makeyeva, L. I., Plesinger, A. & Horalek, J. Phys. Earth. planet Inter. 623, 298–306 (1990).
Savage, M. K., Silver, P. G. & Meyer, R. P. Geophys. Res. Lett. 17, 21–24 (1990).
Silver, P. G. & Chan, W. W. J. geophys. Res. 96, 16429–16454 (1992).
Vinnik, L. P., Usenko, A. Yu., Makeyeva, L. I., & Oreshin, S. I., Dokl. Akad. Nauk USSR 318, 1132–1136 (1991).
Milev, A. & Vinnik, L. P. Dokl. Akad. Nauk USSR 318, 1345–1349 (1991).
Farra, V., Vinnik, L. P., Romanowicz, B., Kosarev, G. L. & Kind, R. Geophys. J. Int. 106, 421–432 (1991).
Vinnik, L. P., Makeyeva, L. I., Milev, A. & Usenko, A. Yu. Geophys. J. Int. (submitted).
Burtman, V. S. Am. J. Sci. A275, 157–186 (1975).
Kravchenko, K. N. in Geodynamics of Pakistan (eds Farah, A & de Jong, K. A.) 27–40 (Geological Survey of Pakistan, Quetta, 1979).
Krestnikov, V. N. History of Development of Oscillatory Movements of the Earth's Crust of the Pamir and Neighboring Parts of Asia (in Russian) (Academy of Sciences Publishing, Moscow, 1962).
Vinnik, L. P. & Saipbekova, A. M. Ann. geophys. 2, 621–626 (1984).
Junga, S. L. Methods and Results of Investigations of Seismotectonic Deformations (in Russian) 191 (Nauka, Moscow, 1990).
Burmakov, Yu. A., Vinnik, L. P. Saipbekova, A. M. & Treussov, A. V., in Dynamics and Evolution of the Lithosphere, 90–100 (Moscow, Nauka, 1986).
Kosarev, G. L. Petersen, N. V., Vinnik, L. P. & Roecker, S. W. J. geophys. Res. (submitted).
Roecker, S. W. et al. J. geophys. Res. (submitted).
Estey, L. H. & Douglas, B. J. J. geophys Res. 91, 11393–11406 (1986).
Vauchez, A. & Nicolas, A. Tectonophysics 185, 183–201 (1991).
Christensen, N. I. & Crosson, R. S. Tectonophysics 6, 92–102 (1968).
Artjush, E. V. Geodynamics (in Russian) (Nauka, Moscow, 1979).
Olson, P. in The Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics, 788–802 (Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1989).
Houseman, G. A., McKenzie, D. P. & Molnar, P. J. geophys. Res. 86, 6115–6132 (1981).
Burov, E. V., Kogan, M. G., Lyon-Caen, H. & Molnar, P. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 96, 367–383 (1990).
Knauf, V. I., Micolaichik, A. V. & Christov, E. V. in Seismotectonics and Seismicity of the Tien Shan (ed. Kalmurzayev, K. E.) 3–18 (Frunze. Ilim. 1980).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Makeyeva, L., Vinnik, L. & Roecker, S. Shear-wave splitting and small-scale convection in the continental upper mantle. Nature 358, 144–147 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/358144a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/358144a0
This article is cited by
-
Anisotropic zoning in the upper crust of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt
Science China Earth Sciences (2021)
-
Small-scale scattering heterogeneities beneath the northern Tien Shan from the teleseismic P wavefield
Earth, Planets and Space (2020)
-
Attenuation of High-Frequency P and S Waves in the Crust of Central and Western Tien Shan
Pure and Applied Geophysics (2020)
-
Crustal structure beneath Tien Shan orogenic belt and its adjacent regions from multi-scale seismic data
Science China Earth Sciences (2017)
-
Upper mantle anisotropy and crust-mantle deformation pattern beneath the Chinese mainland
Science China Earth Sciences (2014)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
