ALBERT

Description: Abstract Understanding the mechanisms by which earthquake cycles produce folding and accommodate shortening is essential to quantify the seismic potential of active faults and integrate aseismic slip within our understanding of the physical mechanisms of the long‐term deformation. However, measuring such small deformation signals in mountainous areas is challenging with current space‐geodesy techniques, due to the low rates of motion relative to the amplitude of the noise. Here we successfully carry out a multitemporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar analysis over the North Qaidam fold‐thrust system in NE Tibet, where eight Mw〉 5.2 earthquakes occurred between 2003 and 2009. We report various cases of aseismic slip uplifting the thickened crust at short wavelengths. We provide a rare example of a steep, shallow, 13‐km‐long and 6‐km‐wide afterslip signal that coincides spatially with an anticline and that continues into 2011 in response to a Mw 6.3 event in 2003. We suggest that a buried seismic slip during the 2003 earthquake has triggered both plastic an‐elastic folding and aseismic slip on the shallow thrusts. We produce a first‐order two‐dimensional model of the postseismic surface displacements due to the 2003 earthquake and highlight a segmented slip on three fault patches that steepen approaching the surface. This study emphasizes the fundamental role of shallow aseismic slip in the long‐term and permanent deformation of thrusts and folds and the potential of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar for detecting and characterizing the spatiotemporal behavior of aseismic slip over large mountainous regions.

Description: Abstract Structural details of the crust play an important role in controlling the distribution of volcanic activity in arc systems. In southwest Washington, several different regional structures associated with accretion and magmatism have been invoked to explain the broad distribution of Cascade volcanism in this region. In order to image these regional structures in the upper crust, Pg and Sg travel times from the imaging Magma Under St. Helens (iMUSH) active‐source seismic experiment are inverted for Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs models in the region surrounding Mount St. Helens. Several features of these models provide new insights into the regional structure of the upper crust. A large section of the Southern Washington Cascades Conductor is imaged as a low Vp/Vs anomaly that is inferred to represent a broad sedimentary/metasedimentary sequence that composes the upper crust in this region. The accreted terrane Siletzia is imaged west of Mount St. Helens as north/south trending high Vp and Vp/Vs bodies. The Vp/Vs model shows relatively high Vp/Vs regions near Mount St. Helens and the Indian Heaven Volcanic Field, which could be related to the presence of magmatic fluids. Separating these two volcanic regions below 6‐km depth is a northeast trending series of high Vp and Vs bodies. These bodies have the same orientation as several volcanic/magmatic features at the surface, including Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier, and it is argued that these high‐velocity features are a regional‐scale group of intrusive bodies associated with a crustal weak zone that focuses magma ascent.

Description: Abstract Seismicity of several intraplate seismic zones in the North American midcontinent is believed to be related to reactivation of ancient faults in Precambrian continental rifts by the contemporary stress field. Existence of such a rift system beneath the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) is not clear. Here we obtained a crustal structural image along a 300‐km‐long profile across WVSZ using a dense linear seismic array. We first calculated teleseismic receiver functions of stations and applied the Common‐Conversion‐Point stacking method to image crustal interfaces and the Moho. We then used ambient noise cross correlation to obtain phase and group velocities of Rayleigh and Love waves. Finally, we jointly inverted the receiver function and surface wave dispersion data to determine shear wave velocity structure along the profile. The results show a thick (50‐ to 60‐km) crust with a typical Proterozoic crustal layering: a 1‐ to 2‐km thick Phanerozoic sedimentary layer, an upper crust ∼15 km thick, and a 30‐ to 40‐km‐thick lower crust. The unprecedented high‐resolution image also reveals a 50‐km‐wide high‐velocity body above an uplifted Moho and several velocity anomalies in the upper and middle crust beneath the La Salle Deformation Belt. We interpreted them as features produced by magmatic intrusions in a failed, immature continental rift during the end of Precambrian. Current seismicity in WVSZ is likely due to reactivation of ancient faults of the rift system by a combination of stress fields from the far‐field plate motion and prominent crustal and upper mantle heterogeneities in the region.

Description: Abstract The Charlevoix Seismic Zone (CSZ) is located along the early Paleozoic St. Lawrence rift zone in southeastern Quebec at the location of a major Devonian impact structure. The impact structure superimposed major, steeply dipping basement faults trending approximately N35°E. Approximately 250 earthquakes are recorded each year and are concentrated within and beneath the impact structure. Most M4+ earthquakes associated with the rift faults occurred outside the impact structure. Apart from the unique distribution of earthquakes, stress inversion of focal mechanisms shows stress rotations within the CSZ, and in the CSZ relative to the stress orientation determined from borehole breakouts. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the combined effects of the preexisting structures and regional stresses on earthquake activity and stress rotations in the CSZ. We approach this using PyLith, a finite‐element code for simulations of crustal deformation. Adopting the results from recent hypocenter relocation and 3‐D tomography studies, we modify the locations and dips of the rift faults and assess the effect of the new fault geometries on stress distributions. We also discuss the effects of resolved velocity anomalies. We find that the observed stress rotation is due to the combined effect of the rift faults and the impact structure. One‐dimensional velocity models of the CSZ with an embedded impact structure and a combination of 65°‐40°‐40° and constant 70° fault dip models with a very low friction coefficient of 0.3 and cohesion of 0 MPa can explain the observed seismicity and more than 50% of the stress rotations.

Description: Abstract Seismic anisotropy provides important information on the structure and geodynamics of the Earth. The forearc mantle wedge in subduction zones mainly exhibits trench‐parallel azimuthal anisotropy globally, which is inconsistent with the model of olivine a axis aligning with the slab‐driven corner flow. Its formation mechanism is currently unclear. Here we present high‐resolution 3‐D P wave anisotropic tomography of the Tohoku subduction zone. We suggest that ductile deformation of the forearc lithospheric mantle of the overriding plate induces the trench‐parallel azimuthal anisotropy and positive radial anisotropy (i.e., horizontal velocity 〉 vertical velocity) in Tohoku. Our results provide the first seismic anisotropic evidence for the slab‐mantle decoupling at a common depth of ~70 km. On the basis of the high‐resolution seismic images, we propose a geodynamic model suggesting that the forearc mantle wedge anisotropy is produced via ductile deformation of dry olivine or hydrous antigorite lithospheric mantle, which accords well with the trench‐parallel shear wave splitting measurements dominant in subduction zones globally.

Description: Abstract We investigate 3‐D seismic structures (Vp, Vs, and Poisson's ratio) and Vp azimuthal anisotropy in the source area of the 2018 Eastern Iburi earthquake (M 6.7) in Hokkaido, Japan. Its mainshock occurred at the edge of a high‐Vp (2–4%) seismogenic zone. Significant low‐Vs (−1% to −3%) and high Poisson's ratio (2–7%) anomalies are imaged in and below the source zone and extend to the upper surface of the subducting Pacific slab, most likely reflecting ascending fluids released by the slab dehydration. A high consistency between the fault plane and the low‐Vs and high Poisson's ratio anomalies indicates that the fluids may have entered the fault and affected the rupture nucleation. A high‐V (1–3%) anomaly is revealed in the fore‐arc mantle wedge and connects with the high‐V seismogenic zone, probably reflecting a lithospheric fragment and contributing to cool down the mantle wedge. Complex seismic anisotropy is revealed in the crust in and around the source area, which may reflect complicated stress regime and strong structural heterogeneities there.

Description: Abstract Recent laboratory evidence shows that compaction creep in porous rocks may develop through stages of acceleration, especially if the material is susceptible to strain localization. This paper provides a mechanical interpretation of compaction creep based on viscoplasticity and nonlinear dynamics. For this purpose, a constitutive operator describing the evolution of compaction creep is defined to evaluate the spontaneous accumulation of pore collapse within an active compaction band. This strategy enables the determination of eigenvalues associated with the stability of the response, i.e. able to differentiate decelerating from accelerating strain. This mathematical formalism was linked to a constitutive law able to simulate compaction localization. Material point simulations were then used to identify the region of the stress space where unstable compaction creep is expected, showing that accelerating strains correspond to pulses of inelastic strain rate. Such pulses were also found in full‐field numerical analyses of delayed compaction, revealing that they correspond to stages of inception and propagation of new bands across the volume of the simulated sample. These results illustrate the intimate relation between the spatial patterns of compaction and their temporal dynamics, showing that while homogeneous compaction develops with decaying rates of accumulation, localized compaction occurs through stages of accelerating deformation caused by the loss of strength taking place during the formation of a band. In addition, they provide a predictive modeling framework to simulate and explain the spatiotemporal dynamics of compaction in porous sedimentary formations.

Description: ABSTRACT Detailed P wave velocity and anisotropy structure of the uppermost mantle below the central United States is presented based on a tomographic inversion of Pn traveltimes for earthquakes in the range 2 to 14°. Dense raypath coverage throughout the northern Mississippi Embayment is obtained using the Northern Embayment Lithosphere Experiment and U.S. Transportable Array data sets. A detailed analysis of the trade‐off between velocity and anisotropy variations demonstrates that both are well resolved over most of the study area. Anomalously fast Pn velocities are identified below the northern Mississippi Embayment, centered on the New Madrid seismic zone. A prominent region of low velocity coincides with the southwestern margin of the Illinois basin. Pn anisotropy displays complex patterns and differs from absolute plate motion directions and SKS splitting directions. A circular pattern of fast anisotropy directions is centered on the New Madrid seismic zone and may be related to the presence of the mafic “rift pillow.”

Description: Abstract Sedimentary relative paleointensity (RPI) records are often carried by complex magnetic mineral mixtures, including detrital and biogenic magnetic minerals. Recent studies have demonstrated that magnetic inclusions within larger detrital silicate particles can make significant contributions to sedimentary paleomagnetic records. However, little is known about the role such inclusions play in sedimentary paleomagnetic signal recording. We analyzed paleomagnetic and mineral magnetic data for marine sediment core MD01‐2421 from the North Pacific Ocean, offshore of central Japan, to assess how magnetic inclusions and other detrital magnetic minerals record sedimentary paleomagnetic signals. Stratigraphic intervals in which abundant magnetic inclusions dominate the magnetic signal are compared with other intervals to assess quantitatively their contribution to sedimentary RPI signals. The normalized remanence record from core MD01‐2421 does not correlate clearly with global RPI stacks, which we attribute to a demonstrated lower paleomagnetic recording efficiency of magnetic inclusions compared to other detrital magnetic minerals. We also carried out the first laboratory redeposition experiments under controlled Earth‐like magnetic fields for particles with magnetic inclusions using material from core MD01‐2421. Our results confirm that such particles can be aligned by ambient magnetic fields but with a lower magnetic recording efficiency compared to other detrital magnetic minerals, which is consistent with normalized remanence data from core MD01‐2421. Our demonstration of the role of sedimentary magnetic inclusions should have wide applicability for understanding sedimentary paleomagnetic recording.

Description: Abstract The mechanical dynamics of volcanic systems can be better understood with detailed knowledge on strength of a volcanic edifice and subsurface. Previous work highlighting this on Mt. Etna has suggested that its carbonate basement could be a significant zone of widespread planar weakness. Here, we report new deformation experiments to better quantify such effects. We measure and compare key deformation parameters using Etna basalt (EB), which is representative of upper edifice lava flows, and Comiso limestone (CL), which is representative of the carbonate basement, under upper crustal conditions. These data are then used to derive empirical constitutive equations describing changes in rocks strength with pressure, temperature and strain rate. At a constant strain rate of 10‐5 s‐1 and an applied confining pressure of 50 MPa the brittle to ductile transitions were observed at 975 °C (EB) and 350 °C (CL). For the basaltic edifice of Mt. Etna, the strength is described with a Mohr‐coulomb failure criterion with μ ~0.704, C = 20 MPa. For the carbonate basement, strength is best described by a power law‐type flow in two regimes: a low‐T regime with stress exponent n ~5.4 and an activation energy Q ~ 170.6 kJ/mol and a high‐T regime with n~ 2.4 and Q ~ 293.4 kJ/mol. We show that extrapolation of these data to Etna's basement predicts a brittle to ductile transition that corresponds well with the generally observed trends of the seismogenic zone underneath Mt. Etna. This in turn may be useful for future numerical simulations of volcano‐tectonic deformation of Mt. Etna, and other volcanoes with limestone basements.

Description: Abstract On 20 April 2013, an Mw 6.6 Lushan earthquake occurred on the southwestern segment of the Longmen Shan fault belt, which is the tectonic block boundary between the eastern Tibetan plateau and the Sichuan basin. Seismic reflection profiles and aftershock relocation indicate that there exists a back thrust fault in the source region but whether it is ruptured during the Lushan earthquake remains controversial. Here the precise leveling data are firstly used together with Global Positioning System (GPS), Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), and strong motion data to invert for the fault geometry and slip distribution associated with the earthquake. The joint inversion result shows that the Lushan earthquake occurred on a blind thrust fault with strike N208.5 °E and dip 42.1° to the NW and did not rupture the back reverse fault. The coseismic slip model reveals the Lushan earthquake involves the rupture of one major asperity. The coseismic slip is mainly concentrated on a steeply dipping fault plane. The coseismic rupture terminates on the southwestern side of the seismic gap between the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes. Topographic stress may be the dominant mechanism of coseismic rupture termination.

Description: Abstract Experimental data show that inelastic straining occurs even at very low pressure before and during “brittle” fracturing. This process is therefore investigated within the framework of elastoplasticity using 2D, 3‐layer FD modeling. The constitutive model includes both tensile and shear failure mechanisms coupled at the level of the strain softening law. The modeling results show that sets of parallel joints initiate as pure dilation bands, the narrow σ3‐normal bands of localized dilatant damage (inelastic deformation). The band thickness, length, and the initial strain softening degree within it are proportional to the ductility of the material, which increases with the effective stress level (σ1) or pressure. The strength reduction within the bands is accelerated at a certain stage, and the strength locally reaches zero resulting in fracture initiation. The initial fracture then propagates in mode I following the propagating band. The fracture (joint) appears thus as a band of damaged material with the increased porosity, which is maximum along the axial zone of the band where the material is completely broken. The damage is due to both tensile and shear mechanisms. The role of shear failure increases with the ductility (pressure) increase, which also leads to the band thickness increase. These processes can result in small (band thickness)‐scale shear fractures within the band, causing the increase in the roughness of fracture walls organized in plumose patterns typical of both natural and experimentally generated joints.

Description: Abstract Deciphering the relationship between lateral growth of faults and along‐strike deformation (i.e., shortening and uplift) in the Earth's upper crust remains a challenge. Here we gain insight into the relation between these processes by studying the Kashi anticline, an asymmetric, doubly plunging thrust‐fault‐related fold located in the southwest Tian Shan, China. We use seismic interpretation and field observations, together with 2‐D trishear and excess area methods, to quantify the distribution of shortening along this structure. The shortening distribution along strike of the Kashi anticline is nonlinear and has a peaked, asymmetric, bell shape, with a maximum value of 5.9 ± 0.2 km. After comparing the 3‐D structural model of the Kashi anticline and our trishear models, we propose that lateral propagation‐to‐maximum shortening ratio, initiation fault length, and lateral propagation rate control the lateral fault propagation process and the fold terminations. Moreover, the 3‐D fault morphology and the ages of the growth strata suggest that the Kashi anticline experienced two stages of lateral growth with propagation rates of 60 km/Ma between 1.4 ± 0.2 Myr and 0.9 ± 0.3 Ma, and ~67 km/Myr from 0.9 ± 0.3 Ma to present. These observations highlight the relation between the evolution of lateral fault growth and the along‐strike shortening distribution, allowing us to use the latter (which we can measure) to infer the former (which we cannot). These novel insights from the Kashi anticline can be used to understand lateral growth of thrust and normal faults worldwide.

Description: Abstract Seismically detected ultralow velocity zones (ULVZs) at the the core‐mantle boundary (CMB) reflect the dynamical state and geological evolution of the silicate‐metal frontier of Earth's deep interior. However, modeling the dynamical context of ULVZs is hampered by challenges, such as the necessity of fine scale resolution and the accurate treatment of large viscosity contrasts. Here we extend the treatment of ULVZs using a lubrication theory approach and apply it to numerical and analytical models relevant for mantle convection in the CMB region. A generic model of a thin and dense low viscosity ULVZ layer embedded between an overlying convecting viscous mantle and an underlying inviscid core can explain several features that are consistent with seismic inferences, such as the absence of ULVZs in some regions and a tabular shape where they are concentrated. The model explains how the topography of a ULVZ layer tends to saturate and flatten as it becomes thicker, due to a non‐linear feedback between viscous aggregation beneath upwelling mantle currents and gravitational spreading/relaxation. Implementation of the ULVZ equation in thermal convection models indicates that ULVZs are preferentially gathered beneath long‐lived plumes, and may not exist beneath newly formed plume roots where there is no source of layer material. The presence/absence of ULVZs and their detailed shapes may provide important insights into the dynamical state and convective instability of the lowermost mantle thermal boundary layer.

Description: Abstract We implement a Coulomb rate‐and‐state approach to explore the nonlinear relation between stressing rate and seismicity rate in the Groningen gas field. Coulomb stress rates are calculated, taking into account the 3‐D structural complexity of the field and including the poroelastic effect of the differential compaction due to fault offsets. The spatiotemporal evolution of the Groningen seismicity must be attributed to a combination of both (i) spatial variability in the induced stressing rate history and (ii) spatial heterogeneities in the rate‐and‐state model parameters. Focusing on two subareas of the Groningen field where the observed event rates are very contrasted even though the modeled seismicity rates are of similar magnitudes, we show that the rate‐and‐state model parameters are spatially heterogeneous. For these two subareas, the very low background seismicity rate of the Groningen gas field can explain the long delay in the seismicity response relative to the onset of reservoir depletion. The characteristic periods of stress perturbations, due to gas production fluctuations, are much shorter than the inferred intrinsic time delay of the earthquake nucleation process. In this regime the modeled seismicity rate is in phase with the stress changes. However, since the start of production and for two subareas of our analysis, the Groningen fault system is unsteady and it is gradually becoming more sensitive to the stressing rate.

Description: Abstract From 1963 to 1973 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured heat flow at 356 sites in the Amerasian Basin (Western Arctic Ocean) from a drifting ice island (T‐3). The resulting measurements, which are unevenly distributed on Alpha‐Mendeleev Ridge (AMR) and in Canada and Nautilus basins, greatly expand available heat flow data for the Arctic Ocean. Average T‐3 heat flow is ~54.7 ± 11.3 mW m‐2, and Nautilus Basin is the only well‐surveyed area (~13% of data) with significantly higher average heat flow (63.8 mW m‐2). Heat flow and bathymetry are not correlated at a large scale, and turbiditic surficial sediments (Canada and Nautilus basins) have higher heat flow than the sediments that blanket the AMR. Thermal gradients are mostly near‐linear, implying that conductive heat transport dominates and that near‐seafloor sediments are in thermal equilibrium with overlying bottom waters. Combining the heat flow data with modern seismic imagery suggests that some of the observed heat flow variability may be explained by local changes in sediment thickness or lithology or the presence of basement faults that channel circulating seawater. A numerical model that incorporates thermal conductivity variations along a profile from Canada Basin (thick sediment on mostly oceanic crust) to Alpha Ridge (thin sediment over thick magmatic units associated with the High Arctic Large Igneous Province) predicts heat flow lower than that observed on Alpha Ridge. This, along with other observations, implies that circulating fluids modulate conductive heat flow and contribute to high variability in the T‐3 dataset.

Description: Abstract The Early Cretaceous Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) in the southwestern Pacific Ocean is the largest oceanic plateau by volume on Earth, and a broad range of observations has been conducted to reveal its formation and evolution. However, because seafloor seismic observations of the OJP and surrounding areas have been insufficient so far, such experiments are capable of generating additional information regarding the crustal and mantle structure of the OJP. To image seismic velocity discontinuities from the crust to the uppermost mantle, we applied receiver function (RF) analysis to seismic records acquired by 17 broadband ocean bottom seismometers deployed across the region in and around the OJP and 3 broadband stations located on ocean islands in Micronesia (one: permanent, two: temporary). The results revealed mid‐crustal discontinuities and the Moho at depths of 10–20 km and 30–40 km (from the top of the basement), respectively, in the central OJP. Moreover, a mantle discontinuity was also imaged at the depth of 55–60 km (from the top of the basement) in the central OJP. These boundaries were not imaged outside the OJP, implying they are characteristic features of the OJP. In addition, RF images showed Moho signals at the depth of 20 km in the eastern OJP, where few previous seismic exploration surveys have been conducted. This depth is comparable with that found in the Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus that were potentially separated from the OJP.

Description: Abstract Previous compilation of crustal structure in South America had large unsampled areas including the thin crust in the Sub‐Andean lowlands, largely estimated by gravity data, and the sparsely sampled Amazon Craton. A deployment of 35 seismic stations in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay improved the coverage of the Pantanal Basin in Western Brazil, the intracratonic Paraná and the Chaco basins. Crustal thicknesses and Vp/Vs ratios were estimated with a modified H‐k method by producing three stacked traces to enhance the three Moho conversions (the direct Ps and the two multiples Ppps and Ppss). This modified method gives lower uncertainties than previous studies and shows more regional consistency between nearby stations. The temporary stations and the Brazilian network (RSBR) have characterized the crustal structure as follows. The Paraná Basin has a thick crust 40‐45 km, and average Vp/Vs ratio (1.71‐1.77), while the Chaco Basin has a slightly thinner crust (35‐40 km) and higher Vp/Vs ratio (1.75‐1.79). This confirms the lack of widespread magmatic underplating in the Paraná Basin that could be related to the origin of the flood basalts during the South Atlantic opening. A belt of thin crust (30‐35 km) with low Vp/Vs (〈1.74) is confined to the eastern edge of the Pantanal Basin. Normal crust (38‐43 km) is observed along the western edge of the Pantanal, from the southern part of the Amazon craton to the Rio Apa cratonic block. This study, combined with other published data, provides an updated crustal thickness map of South America.

Description: Abstract We consider fluid‐induced seismicity and present closed‐form expressions for the elastic displacements, strains and stresses resulting from injection into or production from a reservoir with displaced faults. We apply classic inclusion theory to two‐dimensional finite‐width and infinite‐width reservoir models. First we simplify the fault model to the bare minimum while still maintaining its essential features: a vertical fault in a homogeneous reservoir of infinite width in an infinite domain. We confirm and sharpen findings from earlier numerical studies and furthermore conclude that the development of infinitely large elastic shear stresses in a displaced fault, at the internal and external reservoir/fault corners, implies that even small amounts of injection or production will result in some amount of slip or other non‐elastic deformation. Another finding is that there is a marked difference between the shear stress patterns resulting from injection and production in a reservoir with a displaced fault. In both situations two slip patches emerge but at the start of injection some amount of slip occurs immediately in the overburden and underburden, whereas during production the slip may remain inside the reservoir region. Next we derive similar, but more complicated expressions for displaced inclined (normal or reverse) faults and conclude that our findings for vertical faults also apply to inclined faults.

Description: Abstract The collision of the Indian plate with Eurasia has played a major role in controlling the dynamics of central Asia leading to the world's largest continental deformation zone. In order to study the deformation within the Indian plate as well as the India‐Eurasia collision zone, we model the lithospheric stress field by calculating the two primary sources of stress, one arising due to topography and shallow lithospheric structure estimated by gravitational potential energy (GPE) differences and the other arising from basal tractions derived from density driven mantle convection. We use several tomography models to calculate horizontal tractions using the convection code HC for two radially varying viscosity structures. We also take into account lateral viscosity variations in the lithosphere model arising from stiff cratons, weak plate boundaries and strength variations due to old and young oceanic lithosphere. We do a quantitative comparison of our predicted deviatoric stresses, strain rates and plate velocities with surface observables and find that the regional tomography model of (A. Singh, Mercier, Ravi Kumar, Srinagesh, & Chadha, 2014) embedded in the global S‐wave model S40RTS does a remarkable job of fitting the observations of GPS velocities and strain rates as well as intraplate stress field from the World Stress Map.

Description: Abstract The eastern and northeastern Tibetan plateau is a key region to study the growth and expansion of the plateau and associated extrusion tectonics. We studied the seismic anisotropic structure in this region by shear‐wave splitting analysis of teleseismic records from a dense linear seismic array, to constrain the lithospheric deformation and processes. We detected small‐scale variations in anisotropy, including changes of splitting parameters around major faults and different anisotropy patterns among individual tectonic blocks and units but with consistent interior features. Our results combined with previous observations suggest that, in addition to the dominant effects of lateral extrusion induced by the India‐Eurasia collision, major faults and tectonic heterogeneity may have also exerted significant impacts on the deformation and thus anisotropic structure of the lithosphere. In particular, we constructed two‐layer anisotropy models for both the Longmenshan sub‐block in the easternmost Songpan‐Ganzi terrane and the Western Qinling orogen, indicating crust‐mantle decoupling in these areas. The lower anisotropic layer of both areas shows a general NW‐SE fast polarization direction (FPD). We attribute this feature to the large‐scale mantle deformation, due to the lateral extrusion of Tibet associated with the India‐Eurasia collision. The upper‐layer anisotropy in both areas features an optimal NEE‐SWW FPD. While in the Longmenshan sub‐block it may stem from crustal deformation under the combined effects of mid‐lower crustal flow, faulting and tectonic heterogeneity, that in the Western Qinling Orogen is probably resulted from shearing caused by upper‐crustal displacement along a mid‐crustal detachment.

Description: Abstract Cross‐correlation of fully diffuse wavefields averaged over time should converge to the Green's function; however, the ambient seismic field in the real Earth is not fully diffuse, which interferes with that convergence. We apply blind signal separation to reduce the effect of spurious non‐diffuse components on the cross‐correlation tensor of the ambient seismic field. We describe the diffuse component as having uncorrelated neighboring frequencies and equal intensity at all azimuths, and an independent (i.e., statistically uncorrelated) non‐diffuse component arising from a spatially isolated point source for which neighboring frequencies are correlated. Under the assumption of linear independence of the spurious non‐diffuse wave outside the stationary phase zone and the constructive interference of noise waves within that zone, we can suppress the spurious non‐diffuse component from the noise interferometry. Our numerical simulations show good separation of one spurious non‐diffuse noise source component for either non‐diffuse Rayleigh or Love waves. We apply this separation to the Rayleigh‐wave component of the Green's function for 136 cross‐correlation pairs from 17 stations in Southern California. We perform beamforming over different frequency bands for the cross‐correlations before and after the separation, and find that the reconstructed Rayleigh waves are more coherent. We also estimate the bias in Rayleigh wave phase velocity for each receiver pair due to the spurious non‐diffuse contribution.

Description: No abstract is available for this article.

Description: Abstract Top‐side reverberations off mantle discontinuities are commonly observed at long periods, but their interpretation is complicated because they include both near‐source and near‐receiver reflections. We have developed a method to isolate the station‐side reflectors in large data sets with many sources and receivers. Analysis of USArray transverse‐component data from 3200 earthquakes, using direct S as a reference phase, shows clear reflections off the 410‐ and 660‐km discontinuities, which can be used to map the depth and brightness of these features. Because our results are sensitive to the impedance contrast (velocity and density), they provide a useful complement to receiver‐function studies, which are primarily sensitive to the S velocity jump alone. In addition, reflectors in our images are more spread out in time than in receiver functions, providing good depth resolution. Our images show strong discontinuities near 410 and 660 km across the entire USArray footprint, with intriguing reflectors at shallower depths in many regions. Overall, the discontinuities in the east appear simpler and more monotonous with a uniform transition zone thickness of ~250 km compared to the western United States. In the west, we observe more complex discontinuity topography and small‐scale changes below the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains, and a decrease in transition‐zone thickness along the western coast. We also observe a dipping reflector in the west that aligns with the top of the high‐velocity Farallon slab anomaly seen in some tomography models, but which also may be an artifact caused by near‐surface scattering of incoming S waves.

Description: Abstract Inelastic rheological behavior, such as viscoelasticity, is increasingly utilized in the modeling of volcanic ground deformation, as elevated thermal regimes induced by magmatic systems may necessitate the use of a mechanical model containing a component of time‐dependent viscous behavior. For the modeling of a given amplitude and footprint of ground deformation, incorporating a viscoelastic regime has been shown to reduce the magma reservoir overpressure requirements suggested by elastic models. This phenomenon, however, is restricted to pressure‐based analyses and the associated creep behavior. Viscoelastic materials exhibit additional constitutive time‐dependent behaviors, determined by the stress and strain states, that are yet to be analyzed in the context of volcanic ground deformation. By utilizing a mechanically homogeneous model space and distinct reservoir evolutions, we provide a comparison of three viscoelastic rheological models, including the commonly implemented Maxwell and Standard Linear Solid configurations, and their time‐dependent behaviors from a fundamental perspective. We also investigate the differences between deformation time series resulting from a pressurization or volume change, two contrasting approaches that are assumed to be equivalent through elastic modeling. Our results illustrate that the perceived influence of viscoelasticity is dependent on the mode of deformation, with stress‐based pressurization models imparting enhanced deformation relative to the elastic models, thus reducing pressure requirements. Strain‐based volumetric models, however, exhibit reduced levels of deformation and may produce episodes of apparent ground subsidence induced by source inflation or vice versa, due to the relaxation of crustal stresses, dependent on whether the reservoir is modeled to be expanding or contracting, respectively.

Description: Abstract Layer 2A, the porous and permeable uppermost igneous oceanic crust, permits the circulation of fluid within the crust, the exchange of dissolved mineral species between the ocean and crust, and the convective dissipation of heat from the crust. We examine the presence, temporal extent, thickness, and evolution of layer 2A using multichannel seismic data collected at 30°S in the South Atlantic across crustal age ranges of 0–70 Ma and half spreading rates of 12–31 mm/year. We observe the layer 2A/2B boundary in 0–48 Myr old crust but not in crust older than ~48 Ma. The thickness of layer 2A in the South Atlantic has substantial variability, with a mean of 760 m and a standard deviation of 290 m. Layer 2A has no systematic change in thickness with age in the South Atlantic, and thickness does not correlate with spreading rate. The crust in the South Atlantic is never fully sealed by sediment cover, which implies that the fluid circulation system in the upper crust never becomes fully closed and the thickness of layer 2A can work as a proxy for the depth at which significant circulation can occur. The disappearance of the layer 2A/2B boundary in older crust implies that fluid circulation within the upper crust continues to occur for at least ~48 Myr after crustal formation in the South Atlantic, after which layer 2A becomes indistinguishable from layer 2B in reflection images.

Description: Abstract There is growing evidence that outgassing through transient fracture networks exerts an important control on conduit processes and explosive‐effusive activity during silicic eruptions. Indeed, the first modern observations of rhyolitic eruptions have revealed that degassed lava effusion may depend upon outgassing during simultaneous pyroclastic venting. The outgassing is thought to occur as gas and pyroclastic debris are discharged through shallow fracture networks within otherwise low‐permeability, conduit‐plugging lava domes. However, this discharge is only transient, as these fractures become clogged and eventually blocked by the accumulation and sintering of hot, melt‐rich pyroclastic debris, drastically reducing their permeability and creating particle‐filled tuffisites. In this study we present the first published permeability measurements for rhyolitic tuffisites, using samples from the recent rhyolitic eruptions at Chaitén (2008‐2009) and Cordón Caulle (2011‐2012) in Chile. To place constraints on tuffisite permeability evolution, we combine (1) laboratory measurements of the porosity and permeability of tuffisites that preserve different degrees of sintering, (2) theoretical estimates on grainsize‐ and temperature‐dependent sintering timescales, and (3) H2O diffusion constraints on pressure‐time paths. The inferred timescales of sintering‐driven tuffisite compaction and permeability loss, spanning seconds (in the case of compaction‐driven sintering) to hours (surface tension‐driven sintering), coincide with timescales of diffusive degassing into tuffisites, observed vent pulsations during hybrid rhyolitic activity (extrusive behaviour coincident with intermittent explosions) and, more broadly, timescales of pressurisation accompanying silicic lava dome extrusion. We discuss herein the complex feedbacks between fracture opening, closing, and sintering, and their role in outgassing rhyolite lavas and mediating hybrid explosive‐effusive activity.

Description: Abstract We present the results of tomographic studies using seismic velocity and attenuation in the area of the Colima Volcanic complex (CVC). Our dataset comprises body waves from local earthquakes recorded by the temporary seismic stations of the CODEX network in the Colima area and a few stations of the regional Mapping the Rivera Subduction Zone (MARS) networks, both deployed in 2006–2008. We obtain three‐dimensional distributions of seismic velocities and attenuation in the crust beneath the CVC area. At shallow depths, we observe a large negative anomaly to the south of CVC, coinciding with the location of the Central Colima Graben. This anomaly may represent debris avalanche deposits, as well as shallow magma reservoirs feeding the eruptions of the presently active Volcán de Colima. In contrast, the volcano edifice of Nevado de Colima, which is built of rigid igneous rocks, is associated with high‐velocity and low‐attenuation anomalies at shallow depths. In the deeper section, a major anomaly with high Vp/Vs, low Vs, and high S wave attenuation corresponds to the location of the regional Tamazula fault. As this represents a mechanically weakened zone of the crust, it may form the pathway that feeds CVC. Both velocity and attenuation models show that the fault‐associated conduit brought magma from the mantle through the lower crust to a depth of 15 km. Then, a light fraction of magma may continue to ascend, forming shallow reservoirs beneath the southern flank of CVC.

Description: Abstract At extensional volcanic arcs, faulting often acts to localize magmatism. Santorini is located on the extended continental crust of the Aegean microplate and is the most active volcano of the Hellenic arc, but the relationship between tectonism and magmatism remains poorly constrained. As part of the PROTEUS experiment, seismic data were acquired across the Santorini caldera and the surrounding region using a dense amphibious array of 〉14,300 marine sound sources and 156 short period seismometers, covering an area 120 km by 45 km. Here, a P‐wave velocity model of the shallow, upper‐crustal structure (〈3 km depth), obtained using travel‐time tomography, is used to delineate fault zones, sedimentary basins, and tectono‐magmatic lineaments. Our interpretation of tectonic boundaries and regional faults are consistent with prior geophysical studies, including the location of basin margins and E‐W oriented basement faults within the Christiana basin west of Santorini. Reduced seismic velocities within the basement east of Santorini, near the Anydros and Anafi basins, are coincident with a region of extensive NE‐SW faulting and active seismicity. The structural differences between the eastern and western sides of Santorini are in agreement with previously proposed models of regional tectonic evolution. Additionally, we find regional magmatism has been localized in NE‐SW trending basin‐like structures that connect the Christiana, Santorini, and Kolumbo volcanic centers. At Santorini itself, we find that magmatism has been localized along NE‐SW trending lineaments that are subparallel to dikes, active faults, and regional volcanic chains. These results show strong interaction between magmatism and active deformation.

Description: Abstract The aftershock productivity is known to strongly vary for different mainshocks of the same magnitude, which cannot be simply explained by random fluctuations. In addition to variable source mechanisms, different rheological properties might be responsible for the observed variations. Here we show, for the subduction zone of northern Chile, that the aftershock productivity is linearly related to the degree of mechanical coupling along the subduction interface. Using the earthquake catalog of Sippl et al. (2018, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JB015384), which consists of more than 100,000 events between 2007 and 2014, and three different coupling maps inferred from interseismic geodetic deformation data, we show that the observed aftershock numbers are significantly lower than expected from the Båth's law. Furthermore, the productivity decays systematically with depth in the uppermost 80 km, while the b value increases. We show that this lack of aftershocks and the observed depth dependence can be simply explained by a linear relationship between the productivity and the coupling coefficient, leading to Båth law only in the case of full coupling. Our results indicate that coupling maps might be useful to forecast aftershock productivity and vice versa.

Description: Abstract Spectral induced polarization spectra were carried out on three graphitic schists and two graphitic sandstones. The microstructural arrangement of graphite of two graphitic schists was studied with thin sections using transmitted and reflected light optical and electron microscopic methods. Chemical maps of selected areas confirm the presence of carbon. The complex conductivity spectra were measured in the frequency range 10 mHz to 45 kHz and in the temperature range +20 °C down to −15 °C. The measured spectra are fitted with a double Cole‐Cole complex conductivity model with one component associated with the polarization of graphite and the second component associated with the Maxwell‐Wagner polarization. The Cole‐Cole exponent and the chargeability are observed to be almost independent of temperature including in freezing conditions. The conductivity and relaxation time are dependent on the temperature in a predictable way. As long as the temperature decreases, the electrical conductivity decreases and the relaxation time increases. A finite element model is able to reproduce the observed results. In this model, we consider an intragrain polarization mechanism for the graphite and a change of the conductivity of the background material modeled with an exponential freezing curve. One of the core sample (a black schist), very rich in graphite, appears to be characterized by a very high conductivity (approximately 30 S/m). Two induced polarization profiles are discussed in the area of Thorens. The model is applied to the chargeability data to map the volumetric content of graphite.

Description: Abstract Receiver function analysis is widely used to image sharp structures in the Earth, such as the Moho or transition zone discontinuities. Standard procedures either rely on the assumption that underlying discontinuities are horizontal (common conversion point stacking) or are computationally expensive and usually limited to 2‐D geometries (reverse time migration and generalized Radon transform). Here, we develop a teleseismic imaging method that uses fast 3‐D traveltime calculations with minimal assumption about the underlying structure. This allows us to achieve high computational efficiency without limiting ourselves to 1‐D or 2‐D geometries. In our method, we apply acoustic Kirchhoff migration to transmitted and reflected teleseismic waves (i.e., receiver functions). The approach expands on the work of Cheng et al. (2016, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw062) to account for free surface multiples. We use an Eikonal solver based on the fast marching method to compute traveltimes for all scattered phases. Three‐dimensional scattering patterns are computed to correct the amplitudes and polarities of the three component input signals. We consider three different stacking methods (linear, phase weighted, and second root) to enhance the structures that are most coherent across scattering modes and find that second‐root stack is the most effective. Results from synthetic tests show that our imaging principle can recover scattering structures accurately with minimal artifacts. Application to real data from the Multidisciplinary Experiments for Dynamic Understanding of Subduction under the Aegean Sea experiment in the Hellenic subduction zone yields images that are similar to those obtained by 2‐D generalized Radon transform migration at no additional computational cost, further supporting the robustness of our approach.

Description: Abstract Forecasting the onset of a volcanic eruption from a closed system requires understanding its stress state and failure potential, which can be investigated through numerical modeling. However, the lack of constraints on model parameters, especially rheology, may substantially impair the accuracy of failure forecasts. Therefore, it is essential to know whether large variations and uncertainties in rock properties will preclude the ability of models to predict reservoir failure. A series of two‐dimensional, axisymmetric models are used to investigate sensitivities of brittle failure initiation to assumed rock properties. The numerical experiments indicate that the deformation and overpressure at failure onset simulated by elastic models will be much lower than the viscoelastic models, when the timescale of pressurization exceeds the viscoelastic relaxation time of the host rock. Poisson's ratio and internal friction angle have much less effect on failure forecasts than Young's modulus. Variations in Young's modulus significantly affect the prediction of surface deformation before failure onset when Young's modulus is 〈 40 GPa. Longer precursory volcano‐tectonic events may occur in weak host rock (E 〈 40 GPa) due to well‐developed Coulomb failure prior to dike propagation. Thus, combining surface deformation with seismicity may enhance the accuracy of eruption forecast in these situations. Compared to large and oblate magma systems, small and prolate systems create far less surface uplift prior to failure initiation, suggesting that more frequent measurements are necessary.

Description: Abstract Core‐mantle boundary (CMB) topography may provide useful hints on the deep mantle thermochemical structure, as clusters of thermal plumes and piles of chemically differentiated material, which are usually proposed as end‐member explanations for the large low shear‐wave velocity regions observed in the deep mantle, have different actions on this topography. CMB topography is further sensitive to several parameters, including mantle viscosity and its variations with thermal and compositional changes. Here we assess the influence of the postperovskite (pPv) phase viscosity on deep mantle dynamics and on CMB topography. We perform numerical simulations of thermal and thermochemical convection in spherical geometry, varying the ratio between pPv and bridgmanite viscosities, ΔηpPv, between 1 (regular pPv) and 10−3 (weak pPv). Thermochemical structures are dominated by smaller‐scale wavelengths (spherical harmonic degrees 3 to 6) and are more stable in weak than in regular pPv models. The amplitude of CMB topography is reduced by about a factor of 2 as ΔηpPv changes from 1 to 10−3, mostly due to a sharp drop in the depressions induced by downwellings reaching the CMB. By contrast, the topographies induced by plumes clusters and thermochemical piles are mostly unaffected. For all the values of ΔηpPv we tested, long‐wavelength CMB topography and reconstructed shear‐wave tomography are anticorrelated in purely thermal models, and correlated in thermochemical models with strong chemical density contrast (ΔρC = 140 kg/m3). In models with smaller density contrast (ΔρC = 90 kg/m3), topography and tomography are anticorrelated at ΔηpPv = 1, but correlated at ΔηpPv = 10−3.

Description: Abstract In this study, the micromechanical interparticle contact behavior of “De NoArtri” (DNA‐1A) grains is investigated, which is a lunar regolith simulant, using a custom‐built micromechanical loading apparatus, and the results on the DNA‐1A are compared with Ottawa sand which is a standard quartz soil. Material characterization is performed through several techniques. Based on microhardness intender and surface profiler analyses, it was found that the DNA‐1A grains had lower values of hardness and higher values of surface roughness compared to Ottawa sand grains. In normal contact micromechanical tests, the results showed that the DNA‐1A had softer behavior compared with Ottawa sand grains and that cumulative plastic displacements were observed for the DNA‐1A simulant during cyclic compression, whereas for Ottawa sand grains elastic displacements were dominant in the cyclic sequences. In tangential contact micromechanical tests, it was shown that the interparticle friction values of DNA‐1A were much greater than that of Ottawa sand grains, which was attributed to the softer contact response and greater roughness of the DNA‐1A grains. Widely used theoretical models both in normal and tangential directions were fitted to the experimental data to obtain representative parameters, which can be useful as input in numerical analyses which use the discrete element method.

Description: Abstract Volcanic plumes from small and moderate eruptions represent a challenge in the study of plume morphology due to eruption source parameter uncertainties and atmospheric influence. Sakurajima volcano, Japan, features such activity and due to its continuous eruptions in the recent years provides an ideal natural laboratory. A data set of 896 eruptions between 2009 and 2016 with well‐constrained plume heights, estimated erupted mass, and associated atmospheric conditions has been compiled. Plume heights ranged between 1,500 and 5,000 m and mainly developed under stable atmospheric stratification and low background wind speeds. The eruptions presented in the database were used to drive FPLUME, a 1‐D integral volcanic plume model, to study the simulated plume morphology. FPLUME was seen to provide consistent results under stable atmospheric stratification. A method for the real‐time monitoring of erupted mass used in the Sakurajima observatory was seen to provide appropriate first guess estimates for the eruptions, showing agreement with analytical and simulated mass flow rate calculations. Volcanic plumes from Sakurajima show significant influence by the atmospheric environment. The plume scaling parameter (Π) was used to characterize the expected degree of plume bending with results correlating well against modeled plume angles. The vertical wind profile was seen to have a significant impact on the resolved plume. Wind shear characteristics were seen to have a mechanical effect on the plume, aiding or inhibiting bending. Finally, potential issues were identified in simulations under unstable atmospheric conditions as the model either failed to provide a solution or overestimated the plume height.

Description: Abstract The physical mechanism of intermediate‐depth earthquakes is still uncertain. Dehydration embrittlement and thermal shear heating mechanisms are the leading hypotheses, and each has been supported both by observations and experiments. Slab character is likely to affect either mechanism. We apply uniform processing to data sets from the two main subduction zones in Japan: the older, colder, and faster‐subducting Pacific plate and the younger, warmer, and slower‐subducting Philippine Sea plate. We compare the stress drops and radiated efficiencies of intermediate‐depth earthquakes in these settings and find no significant differences between the scaling of source properties. In particular, we find both an increase of stress drop and apparent stress with increasing moment for the Pacific Plate subduction in Hokkaido and for the Philippine Sea Plate subduction in Kyushu. We suggest that this, along with apparent invariance of radiated efficiency, suggests that an embrittlement process is more important in these regions than a thermal shear mechanism.

Description: Abstract Temperature distribution at depth is of key importance for characterizing the crust, defining its mechanical behavior and deformation. Temperature can be retrieved by heat flow measurements in boreholes that are sparse, shallow, and have limited reliability, especially in active and recently active areas. Laboratory data and thermodynamic modeling demonstrate that temperature exerts a strong control on the seismic properties of rocks, supporting the hypothesis that seismic data can be used to constrain the crustal thermal structure. We use Rayleigh wave dispersion curves and receiver functions, jointly inverted with a transdimensional Monte Carlo Markov Chain algorithm, to retrieve the VS and VP/VS within the crust in the Italian peninsula. The high values (〉1.9) of VP/VS suggest the presence of filled‐fluid cracks in the middle and lower crust. Intracrustal discontinuities associated with large values of VP/VS are interpreted as the α−β quartz transition and used to estimate geothermal gradients. These are in agreement with the temperatures inferred from shear wave velocities and exhibit a behavior consistent with the known tectonic and geodynamic setting of the Italian peninsula. We argue that such methods, based on seismological observables, provide a viable alternative to heat flow measurements for inferring crustal thermal structure.

Description: Abstract Low‐δ26Mg basalts are commonly interpreted to represent melts derived from carbonated mantle sources. The mantle domain feeding low‐δ26Mg Cenozoic basalts in eastern China overlaps the so‐called Big Mantle Wedge (BMW) above the stagnant Pacific slab in the mantle transition zone, which indicates that the BMW is an important carbon reservoir generated by the slab. However, Mg isotopic composition in the nearby mantle beyond the BMW and, thus, the spatial extent of carbonated components in the mantle beneath eastern Asia have not yet been extensively characterized. Therefore, it remains largely unconstrained if additional or alternative carbon reservoirs exist. Here we carried out a geochemical study on Cenozoic Huihe nephelinites, which crop out ~500 km west of the present‐day BMW. These rocks are characterized by negative K, Zr, Hf, and Ti anomalies, high Zr/Hf, Ca/Al ratios, and low δ26Mg values, which suggest that they are derived from a carbonated mantle source. The composition of the nephelinites demonstrates that low δ26Mg mantle components exist at significant distances from the present‐day BMW, which highlights that in addition to the stagnant Pacific slab, other oceanic slab(s) also contribute(s) carbonate‐bearing crustal materials to the mantle sources of Cenozoic volcanism in eastern Asia.

Description: Abstract The 2016–2017 Central Apennines earthquake sequence is a recent example of how damages from subsequent aftershocks can exceed those caused by the initial mainshock. Recent studies reveal that physics‐based aftershock forecasts present comparable skills to their statistical counterparts, but their performance remains a controversial subject. Here we employ physics‐based models that combine the elasto‐static stress transfer with rate‐and‐state friction laws, and short‐term statistical Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) models to describe the spatiotemporal evolution of the earthquake cascade. We then track the absolute and relative model performance using log‐likelihood statistics for a 1‐year horizon after the 24 August 2016 Mw = 6.0 Amatrice earthquake. We perform a series of pseudoprospective experiments by producing seven classes of Coulomb rate‐state (CRS) forecasts with gradual increase in data input quality and model complexity. Our goal is to investigate the influence of data quality on the predictive power of physics‐based models and to assess the comparative performance of the forecasts in critical time windows, such as the period following the 26 October Visso earthquakes leading to the 30 October Mw = 6.5 Norcia mainshock. We find that (1) the spatiotemporal performance of the basic CRS models is poor and progressively improves as more refined data are used, (2) CRS forecasts are about as informative as ETAS when secondary triggering effects from M3+ earthquakes are included together with spatially variable slip models, spatially heterogeneous receiver faults, and optimized rate‐and‐state parameters. After the Visso earthquakes, the more elaborate CRS model outperforms ETAS highlighting the importance of the static stress transfer for operational earthquake forecasting.

Description: Abstract We present a theoretical study focusing on exploring the possibility of controlling anthropogenic and natural seismicity. We actively control the pressure of injected fluids using a negative‐feedback control system. Our analysis is based on the spring‐slider model for modeling the earthquake instability. We use a general Coulomb‐type rheology for describing the frictional behavior of a fault system. This model leads to a nonautonomous system, whose steady state and stability are studied using a double‐scale asymptotic analysis. This approach renders the dominant order of the system time invariant. Established tools from the classical mathematical theory of control are used for designing a proper stabilizing controller. We show that the system is stabilizable by controlling fluid pressure. This is a central result for industrial operations. A stabilizing controller is then designed and tested. The controller regulates in real time the applied pressure in order to assure stability, avoid unwanted seismicity, and drive the system from unstable states of high potential energy, to stable ones of low energy. The controller performs well even in the absence of complete knowledge of the frictional properties of the system. Finally, we present two numerical examples (scenarios) and illustrate how anthropogenic and natural earthquakes could be, in theory, prevented.

Description: Abstract We integrate paleoseismic datasets along the Mt. Vettore‐Mt. Bove normal fault‐system (VBFS) rupturing at surface in the 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquake. Through the analysis of new trenches from this work and a review of the pre‐existing data, we correlate events among trench sites along antithetic and synthetic fault splays. We recognize seven M6.5, 2016 Norcia‐type (or larger) surface‐faulting events in the last ~22 kyr, including 2016. Before 2016, one event occurred in the past two millennia (260‐575 CE), and possibly corresponds to the event damaging Rome in 443 CE or 484/508 CE. Three previous events occurred between 10590 BCE and 415 BCE, whereas the two oldest ones date between 19820 BCE and 16540 BCE. The average recurrence time is 3360–3640 yrs for the last ~22 kyr, and 1220‐1970 yrs for the last ~4 kyr. We infer a minimum dip‐slip rate of 0.26‐0.38 mm/yr on the master fault in the central portion of the VBFS, and a dip‐slip rate of at least 0.10 mm/yr on the southernmost portion. We infer a Middle‐Late Pleistocene inception of the long‐term scarp of the investigated splays. The along‐strike variation of slip rates well reproduces the trend of the 2016 surface slip, thus the time window exposed in the trenches is representative for the present fault activity. Based on trenching data, different earthquake rupture scenarios should be also considered for local hazard assessment.

Description: Abstract The mobile south flank of Kīlauea Volcano hosts two normal fault systems, the Koa'e fault system (KFS) and the Hilina fault system (HFS). In historical time, at least three M〉6.5 earthquakes have occurred on the basal detachment of the Kīlauea Volcano's south flank, with the most recent being the May 4, 2018 M6.9 earthquake. Here we analyze kinematic GPS data collected from 2001 to 2017, and InSAR data before, during and after the 2018 M6.9 earthquake to determine the crustal motion across the HFS and KFS faults. Our results indicate that the HFS faults did not significantly slip during the interseismic period from 2007 to 2011. Despite its substantial magnitude, InSAR shows that the 2018 M6.9 earthquake triggered sub‐cm level slip along sections of the previously mapped HFS branches. Up to 20 cm of offset occurred on what appears to be a newly formed (or previously unknown) fault near the eastern end of the HFS. During the 3 months following the M6.9 earthquake, up to more than 30 cm of slip occurred along the KFS, which helps accommodate rapid large‐scale subsidence of Kīlauea's summit region as large volumes of summit reservoir magma fed the lower East Rift Zone eruption. The HFS appears to activate only in concert with large earthquakes on the basal detachment. The KFS, on the other hand, moves both seismically during small local earthquakes, and aseismically in response to nearby earthquakes and caldera subsidence.

Description: Abstract Correlations within and between Precambrian basins are heavily reliant on precise dating of volcanic units (i.e., tuff beds and lava flows) in the absence of biostratigraphy. However, felsic tuffs and lavas are rare or absent in many basins and direct age determinations of Precambrian basaltic lavas have proven to be challenging. In this paper, we report the first successful application of 40Ar/39Ar dating to pyroxene from a Neoproterozoic basalt unit, the Keene Basalt in the Officer Basin of central Australia. 40Ar/39Ar analyses of igneous pyroxene crystals yielded an age of 752 ± 4 Ma (MSWD = 0.69, probability = 72%), which is underpinned by 40Ar/39Ar plagioclase age (753.04 ± 0.84 Ma) from the basalt. This age is significant because the Keene Basalt is one of the very few extrusive igneous rocks identified within the Neoproterozoic successions of central Australia, and is potentially an important time marker for correlating the Neoproterozoic stratigraphy within, and beyond, the central Australian basins. Our geochronological and geochemical data show that the Keene Basalt, which is characterized by enriched elemental and Nd‐Pb isotopic signatures, is strikingly similar to, and coeval with, the 755 ± 3 Ma Mundine Well Dolerite in northwestern Australia. Here, we suggest that both are part of the same large igneous province (~6.5 × 105 km2) related to breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia. This study demonstrates the potential of pyroxene 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to date ancient flood basalts, and to provide pivotal time‐constraints for stratigraphic correlations of Precambrian basins.

Description: Abstract Brucite, Mg (OH)2, is an important analog for studying the thermodynamics of hydrous silicate minerals in the deep Earth, as well as H/D isotope fractionation between minerals and water. In this study, we measured in situ Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra for the natural and deuterated brucite samples, at high temperatures to 650 K, just before the dehydration of brucite at ambient pressure. All of the optical modes systematically shift to lower frequencies at elevated temperature, while deuterium substitution reduces the magnitudes of the temperature dependence. The isobaric mode Grüneisen parameters (γiP), as well as the intrinsic anharmonic parameters (ai), have been evaluated for the vibrational modes between Mg (OH)2 and Mg (OD)2. The anharmonic contribution to the thermodynamic properties (such as internal energy, isochoric and isothermal heat capacities, and entropy) is negative and severe at high temperature. The difference in the heat capacity is up to ~7% at 700 K due to the anharmonic effect. The deuterium isotopic effect on the thermodynamics is positive, and the magnitude of the isotopic effect is comparable to that from the anharmonic effect. On the other hand, the anharmonicity significantly increases the magnitude of the positive pressure dependence of the D/H fractionation β factor for brucite, and this correction could be more important at elevated temperature. At the temperature of 800 K, 103·(∂lnβ/∂P)T increases from +0.23 GPa−1 (for quasi‐harmonic approximation) to +0.44 GPa−1, due to the anharmonic correction.

Description: Abstract To evaluate the effect of melt viscosity on bubble nucleation, we formulated the homogeneous nucleation rate of water bubbles to explicitly include melt viscosity. The viscosity coefficient appears in the preexponential factor of the nucleation rate in terms of the Péclet number: the ratio of the bubble growth timescale by molecular diffusion and the viscous relaxation timescale. The preexponential factor is almost constant when viscosity is low (or a high Péclet number), whereas it linearly decreases with increasing viscosity (or a decreasing Péclet number) exceeding the crossover value of viscosity, under a given supersaturation. The crossover point depends on whether homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation takes place. We numerically solved the evolution of bubble nucleation and growth processes in ascending magmas by using the new nucleation rate formula and a precise approximation of moment equations of the bubble size distribution function. The resultant bubble number density has two regimes, similar to the previous study, but the transition point between the diffusion‐controlled regime and the viscosity‐controlled regime moves to higher viscosity or higher decompression rates by 0.6 log units at the maximum. In the viscosity‐controlled regime, the effect of the better approximation of bubble size distribution moment equations reduces bubble number density by a few orders of magnitude compared with the previous study. As a result of compiling the past laboratory experimental data, it turned out that all the experiments are conducted under the conditions equivalent to the diffusion‐controlled regime. We propose an experimental condition to confirm the presence of the viscosity‐controlled regime.

Description: Abstract Seismic observations suggest (1) significant accumulation of subducted slabs above the 670‐km discontinuity in many subduction zones, (2) possible structure change at ~1,000‐km depth, and (3) the large low shear wave velocity provinces above the core‐mantle boundary in the African and Pacific lower mantle be associated with chemical heterogeneity. Global mantle convection models with realistic plate motion history reproduce most of these structures. However, it remains unclear how the convection models compare with seismic models at different spatial wavelengths and depths. By conducting quantitative analysis between mantle convection and seismic models, we found that mantle convective structures show significant correlations with seismic structures in the upper mantle and mantle transition zone for wavelengths up to spherical harmonic degree 20. However, the global correlation is weak at intermediate to short wavelengths (for degrees 4 and higher) in the lower mantle below ~1,000‐km depth. A weak layer beneath the spinel‐to‐postspinel phase change help consistently reproduce stagnant slabs in the western Pacific, while having insignificant effects elsewhere, that is, the large low shear wave velocity province structures. The cold slab structures and their correlations with the seismically fast anomalies are nearly identical for our convection models with and without the plumes, indicating that seismically fast anomalies in the mantle mainly result from the subducted slabs. Models with viscosity increase at 1,000‐km depth and the 670‐km depth phase change may reproduce seismic slab structures including the stagnant slabs in the mantle transition zone equally well as models with a thin weak layer below the 670‐km phase boundary.

Description: Abstract Orientations of natural fault systems are subject to large variations. They often contradict classical Coulomb failure theory as they are misoriented relative to the regional Andersonian stress field. This is ascribed to local effects of structural or stress heterogeneities and reorientations of structures or stresses on the long term. To better understand the relation between fault orientation and regional stresses, we simulate spontaneous fault growth and its effect on the stress field. Our approach incorporates earthquake rupture dynamics, viscoelastoplastic brittle deformation and a rate‐ and state‐dependent friction formulation in a continuum mechanics framework. We investigate how strike‐slip faults orient according to local and far‐field stresses during their growth. We identify two modes of fault growth, seismic and aseismic, distinguished by different fault angles and slip velocities. Seismic fault growth causes a significant elevation of dynamic stresses and friction values ahead of the propagating fault tip. These elevated quantities result in a greater strike angle relative to the maximum principal regional stress than that of a fault segment formed aseismically. When compared to the near‐tip time‐dependent stress field the fault orientations produced by both growth modes follow the classical failure theory. We demonstrate how the two types of fault growth may be distinguished in natural faults by comparing their angles relative to the original regional maximum principal stress. A stress field analysis of the Landers‐Kickapoo fault suggests that an angle greater than ∼25° between two faults indicates seismic fault growth.

Description: Abstract Earthquake ruptures dynamically activate coseismic off‐fault damage around fault cores. Systematic field observation efforts have shown the distribution of off‐fault damage around main faults, while numerical modeling using elastic‐plastic off‐fault material models has demonstrated the evolution of coseismic off‐fault damage during earthquake ruptures. Laboratory scale micro‐earthquake experiments have pointed out the enhanced high‐frequency radiation due to the coseismic off‐fault damage. However, the detailed off‐fault fracturing mechanisms, subsequent radiation and its contribution to the overall energy budget remain to be fully understood because of limitations of current observational techniques and model formulations. Here, we constructed a new physics‐based dynamic earthquake rupture modeling framework, based on the combined finite‐discrete element method (FDEM), to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of coseismic off‐fault damage, and its effect on the rupture dynamics, the radiation and the overall energy budget. We conducted a 2‐D systematic case study with depth and showed the mechanisms of dynamic activation of the coseismic off‐fault damage. We found the decrease in rupture velocity and the enhanced high‐frequency radiation in near‐field due to the coseismic off‐fault damage. We then evaluated the overall energy budget, which shows a significant contribution of the coseismic off‐fault damage to the overall energy budget even at depth, where the damage zone width becomes narrower. The present numerical framework for the dynamic earthquake rupture modeling thus provides the insight into the earthquake rupture dynamics with the coseismic off‐fault damage.

Description: Abstract Pulse‐like ruptures arise spontaneously in many elastodynamic rupture simulations and seem to be the dominant rupture mode along crustal faults. Pulse‐like ruptures propagating under steady state conditions can be efficiently analyzed theoretically, but it remains unclear how they can arise and how they evolve if perturbed. Using thermal pressurization as a representative constitutive law, we conduct elastodynamic simulations of pulse‐like ruptures and determine the spatiotemporal evolution of slip, slip rate, and pulse width perturbations induced by infinitesimal perturbations in background stress. These simulations indicate that steady state pulses driven by thermal pressurization are unstable. If the initial stress perturbation is negative, ruptures stop; conversely, if the perturbation is positive, ruptures grow and transition to either self‐similar pulses (at low background stress) or expanding cracks (at elevated background stress). Based on a dynamic dislocation model, we develop an elastodynamic equation of motion for slip pulses and demonstrate that steady state slip pulses are unstable if their accrued slip b is a decreasing function of the uniform background stress τb. This condition is satisfied by slip pulses driven by thermal pressurization. The equation of motion also predicts quantitatively the growth rate of perturbations and provides a generic tool to analyze the propagation of slip pulses. The unstable character of steady state slip pulses implies that this rupture mode is a key one determining the minimum stress conditions for sustainable ruptures along faults, that is, their “strength.” Furthermore, slip pulse instabilities can produce a remarkable complexity of rupture dynamics, even under uniform background stress conditions and material properties.

Description: Abstract The Baiyun slide complex contains geological evidence for some of the largest landslide ever discovered in the continental slopes of the South China Sea. High‐resolution seismic data suggest that a variety of landslides with varied scales have occurred repeatedly in this area. The largest landslide reconstructed from bathymetric and seismic data has an estimated spatial coverage of ~5,500 km2 and a conservative volume of ~1,035 km3. Here, using geomorphological and geotechnical data, we construct a series of probable landslide scenarios and assess their tsunamigenic capacity. By treating the slides as deformable mudflows, we simulate the dynamics of landslide movements. The simulated landslide motions match the geophysical observations interpreted in previous studies. Particularly, we are able to reproduce the spatial distribution of observed runout, including the distance, shape, and deposit thickness, for the most credible slide scenario. We investigate tsunami impacts generated by different slide scenarios and highlight the importance of initial water depth, sliding direction, and nearshore bathymetry. The worst‐case scenario is capable of producing basin‐wide tsunami, with maximum wave amplitudes reaching ~5 m near Hong Kong and Macau, 1–3 m in western Philippines, and at least 1 m along central Vietnam, southeast Hainan, and southern Taiwan. The most noticeable phenomenon we observed is that the southern Chinese coast is the hardest‐hit region in all the simulated scenarios regardless of the diverse slide features. We conclude that the persistence of high tsunami impact is caused by the unique bathymetric feature of the wide continental shelf in front of southern China.

Description: Abstract ITSG‐Grace2018 is a new series of GRACE‐only gravity field solutions based on reprocessed GRACE observation data (L1B RL03) and the latest atmosphere and ocean dealiasing product (AOD1B RL06). It includes unconstrained monthly and constrained daily solutions, as well as a high‐resolution static gravity field. Compared to the previous ITSG release, we implemented a number of improvements within the processing chain and use updated background models. In an effort to better model all known error sources, we propagate synthetic orientation uncertainties of the star camera assembly to the antenna offset correction for intersatellite ranging observations. This enables the disentanglement of the stationary noise of the K‐Band system and the nonstationary noise of the antenna offset correction. We further incorporated uncertainties of the atmosphere and ocean dealiasing product to reduce temporal aliasing effects. To mitigate errors in the applied ocean tide model, we used constrained GRACE estimates of selected tidal constituents as an additional background model. Variability over quiet ocean areas suggests a 27% to 46% lower noise level compared to the current spherical harmonic solutions of the official processing centers (300 km Gaussian filter applied). To ensure that the low noise floor is not accompanied by signal loss, we examined drainage basin averages, which showed consistent amplitudes with the official GRACE time series. These evaluations lead to the conclusion that ITSG‐Grace2018 is a state‐of‐the‐art GRACE time series which exhibits an excellent signal‐to‐noise ratio.

Description: Abstract The northern Hikurangi plate boundary fault hosts a range of seismic behaviors, of which the physical mechanisms controlling seismicity are poorly understood, but often related to high pore fluid pressures and conditionally stable frictional conditions. Using 2D marine seismic streamer data, we employ full‐waveform inversion (FWI) to obtain a high‐resolution 2D P‐wave velocity model across the Hikurangi margin down to depths of ~2 km. The validity of the FWI velocity model is investigated through comparison with the pre‐stack depth migrated seismic reflection image, sonic well data, and the match between observed and synthetic waveforms. Our model reveals the shallow structure of the overriding plate, including the fault plumbing system above the zone of SSEs to theoretical resolution of a half seismic wavelength. We find that the hanging walls of thrust faults often have substantially higher velocities than footwalls, consistent with higher compaction. In some cases, intra‐wedge faults identified from reflection data are associated with low‐velocity anomalies, which may suggest they are high‐porosity zones acting as conduits for fluid flow. The continuity of velocity structure away from IODP drill site U1520 suggests that lithological variations in the incoming sedimentary stratigraphy observed at this site continue to the deformation front and are likely important in controlling seismic behavior. This investigation provides a high‐resolution insight into the shallow parts of subduction zones, which shows promise for the extension of modeling to 3D using a recently‐acquired, longer‐offset, seismic dataset.

Description: Abstract Studies of mechanical responses of the Earth crust to large earthquakes can provide us with unique insights into the processes of stress buildup and release. As a complement to geodetic methods that derive crustal strain dynamics from surface observations (e.g., GPS, InSAR), noise‐based seismic velocity monitoring directly probes the mechanical state of the crust, at depth and continuously in time. We investigate the responses of the crust to the Mw 9.0, 2011 Tohoku‐oki earthquake. In addition to the Hi‐net short‐period sensors, we use Hi‐net tiltmeters as long‐period seismometers (8–50 s) to sample the crust below 5 km in depth. The spatial distribution of the strong velocity decreases at short periods appears to be limited to the region of strong ground shaking induced by the 2011 Tohoku‐oki earthquake, while the long‐period velocity changes correlate well with the modeled static strain induced by viscoelastic relaxation and afterslip at depth. Amplitudes of coseismic velocity changes decrease with increasing depth. The temporal evolution of velocity changes in different period bands shows that the maximum drops in the velocity at long periods are delayed in time with respect to the occurrence of the Tohoku‐oki earthquake. The inversion of seismic velocity changes at depth illustrates how S wave velocities evolve down to 40 km at a regional scale after a major earthquake.

Description: Abstract Unconventional reservoirs comprise a growing portion of producible reserves due to increasing knowledge of their nature as well as significant advances in production technology. The development of advanced pore‐scale modeling techniques presents potential for better estimation of reservoir flow characteristics including relative permeability, saturation distributions, and capillary pressure. Although pore‐scale network models take into account the pore throat connections and the appropriate fluid properties, highly simplified pore cross‐sectional shapes are still employed when estimating the threshold capillary pressure for fluid‐fluid displacements in each pore element. As a result, there is a growing need for more realistic threshold capillary pressure estimates generated using pore geometries that honor the real pore topology. To this end, a semi‐analytical model is presented that allows the prediction of threshold capillary pressure as well as the capillary pressure vs. saturation relationship for piston‐like fluid displacements using images of unconventional reservoir rock samples. The model was validated on three different idealized pore geometries and compared against available analytical solutions, resulting in an error of less than 1% for all cases. The model was compared to experimental data using fluid occupancy maps obtained using an X‐ray nano‐CT scanner during an oil imbibition sequence into a miniature reservoir shale sample. The capillary pressure versus wetting phase saturation relationship was also determined for a 2D FIB‐SEM image slice. The presented model shows promise for enabling more advanced pore‐scale modeling of shale rock.

Description: Abstract We study the 3‐D P wave velocity structure of the crust and mantle down to 1,000‐km depth beneath the central and eastern United States. A 3‐D velocity model is obtained by conducting a joint inversion of 236,670 arrival times of local earthquakes and 870,455 relative traveltime residuals of teleseismic events recorded by the EarthScope/USArray Transportable Array. Significant low‐velocity (low‐V) anomalies are revealed in the crust beneath the eastern arm of the Midcontinent Rift and the Triassic Basins along the East Coast, whereas a prominent high‐velocity (high‐V) anomaly is visible beneath the Llano Uplift in central Texas. The stable North American Craton exhibits high‐V anomalies at depths of 65–250 km. Low‐V anomalies exist along the eastern and southern margins of the craton, which may reflect relatively thin lithosphere there. A prominent low‐V anomaly is revealed at depths of 50–200 km beneath the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which is bounded by high‐V anomalies to its southeast and northwest. This feature reflects a weak lithosphere surrounded by relatively strong cratonic regions and stress concentration caused intraplate seismicity in the New Madrid region. Two high‐V bodies appear in the mantle transition zone (410‐ to 660‐km depths) beneath the Interior Low Plateaus, the central Great Plains, and the Central Lowland, which may reflect the subducted Farallon plate or delaminated lithosphere. At depths of 800–1,000 km, a high‐V anomaly is visible beneath the southeast United States, which may be the subducted Hess Rise conjugate.

Description: Abstract The 24 May 2013 earthquake beneath the Sea of Okhotsk (610 km, Mw 8.3) produced significant ground motion across the whole span of the Japanese islands, from 1,300‐4,200 km epicentral distance. The largest shaking was concentrated along the back‐arc side of the subduction zone, which is the opposite of the normal pattern for deep earthquakes in the Pacific slab. Observations from the dense Hi‐net and F‐net arrays across Japan show that the largest shaking in northern Japan (near 2,000 km epicentral distance) was caused by near‐caustic S waves, with triplication of upgoing and downgoing waves from the deep source and reflected waves from the 660 km discontinuity. 3‐D finite‐difference‐method simulations confirm that the anti‐waveguide effect of the high‐wavespeed slab is to push the zone of larger intensity 300 km further to south than might be expected. The S wavefont distorted by the slab has near‐critical incidence at the free surface producing large sP and generating shear‐coupled PL (s‐PL) waves with period 〉3 s. With increasing epicentral distance the S incident angle exceeds critical, then total sS reflection creates large ground motion at large distance (〉3,000 km) and even further (〉6,000 km) with sSS. The propagation of sS, sSS linking to sS‐PL and sSS‐PL wavetrains is very efficient in continental structures with thicker crust. The felt reports at large (4,000‐8000 km) distances from the 2013 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake can be explained by lengthy, long‐period ground motion in the continental environment with amplification in sedimentary basins and in tall buildings.

Description: Abstract Preparatory mechanisms accompanying or leading to nucleation of larger earthquakes have been observed at both laboratory and field scales, but conditions favoring the occurrence of observable preparatory processes are still largely unknown. In particular, it remains a matter of debate why some earthquakes occur spontaneously without noticeable precursors as opposed to events that are preceded by an extended failure process. In this study, we have generated new high‐resolution seismicity catalogs framing the occurrence of 20 ML 〉 2.5 earthquakes at The Geysers geothermal field in California. To this end, a seismicity catalog of the 11 days framing each large event was created. We selected 20 sequences sampling different hypocentral depths and hydraulic conditions within the field. Seismic activity and magnitude frequency distributions displayed by the different earthquake sequences are correlated with their location within the reservoir. Sequences located in the northwestern part of the reservoir show overall increased seismic activity and low b values, while the southeastern part is dominated by decreased seismic activity and higher b values. Periods of high injection coincide with high b values and vice versa. These observations potentially reflect varying differential and mean stresses and damage of the reservoir rocks across the field. About 50% of analyzed sequences exhibit no change in seismicity rate in response to the large main event. However, we find complex waveforms at the onset of the main earthquake, suggesting that small ruptures spontaneously grow into or trigger larger events.

Description: Abstract On 2 October 2016, a significant seismic swarm of long‐period events was recorded on Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The swarm lasted more than 5 hr and consisted of at least 766 detected events. We found a positive correlation between the amplitude of each event and the preceding interevent time together with a stability of the spectral properties and waveform similarity during most of the swarm duration. Toward the end of the swarm, individual events merged into a continuous tremor. These observations can be explained by postulating an unsteady transonic choked flow within a crack‐like conduit as a source mechanism for this swarm. The flow resulted from a sudden discharge of magmatic fluids from a pressurized reservoir into the hydrothermal system of Tenerife. The injected fluids reached the surface starting about 1 month after the swarm, as evidenced by the macroscopic increase in the diffuse CO2 emissions from the crater of Teide volcano. The lack of ground deformation and the absence of relevant seismicity at depths greater than 10 km exclude the ascent of a basaltic magma batch as a causative source mechanism. Instead, we hypothesize the sudden release of fluids accumulated at the top of a magma chamber as a possible mechanism. Another possibility is the injection of a small batch of mafic magma into a cooling magma chamber, triggering a convective mixing. Both cases imply the presence of a magma chamber at depths greater than 8.6 km. These results have important implications for the development of the volcano monitoring system of Tenerife.

Description: Abstract The Cenozoic convergence between India and Asia has created Earth's thickest crust in the Pamir‐Tibet Plateau by extreme crustal shortening. Here we study the crustal structure of the Pamir and western Tian Shan, the adjacent margins of the Tajik, Tarim, and Ferghana Basins, and the Hindu Kush, using data collected by temporary seismic experiments. We derive, compare, and combine independent observations from P and S receiver functions. The obtained Moho depth varies from ~40 km below the basins to a double‐normal thickness of 65–75 km underneath the Pamir and Hindu Kush. A Moho doublet—with the deeper interface down to a depth of ~90 km—coincides with the arc of intermediate‐depth seismicity underneath the Pamir, where Asian continental lower crust delaminates and rolls back. The crust beneath most of the Central and South Pamir has a low Vp/Vs ratio (〈1.70), suggesting a dominantly felsic composition, probably a result of delamination/foundering of the mafic rocks of the lower crust. Beneath the Cenozoic gneiss domes of the Central and South Pamir, which represent extensional core complexes, the Vp/Vs ratios are moderate to high (~1.75), consistent with the previously observed, midcrustal low‐velocity zones, implying the presence of crustal partial melts. Even higher crustal average Vp/Vs ratios up to 1.90 are found in the sedimentary basins and along the Main Pamir Thrust. The ratios along the latter—the active thrust front of the Pamir—may reflect fluid accumulations within a strongly fractured fault system.

Description: Abstract The large magnitude of the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku‐Oki earthquake, which occurred off the east coast of Japan, was not expected or predicted by any previous studies. One surprising observation was the sudden change in stress state; local earthquakes confirmed a compressional stress state before the main shock, whereas an extensional stress state was evident after the main shock. Using discrete element method modeling, this project attempts to reproduce the stress change after the main shock, and explores the conditions that can cause stress switching both onshore and offshore Tohoku. Our simulations demonstrate that rapid fault weakening can produce stress change and predominant normal‐fault earthquake mechanisms in the upper plate of Tohoku‐Oki. Several specific conditions seem to favor such stress switching; the megathrust fault must have been frictionally strong before the main shock, and comparable values of internal (μinternal) and basal friction (μbasal) are necessary to cause the formation of widespread normal faults within the wedge. Furthermore, dynamic extension during elastic unloading appears to play an important role in accommodating stress changes and wedge deformation in the Tohoku area; these cannot be explained solely based on Critical Coulomb Wedge models, but instead require dynamic unloading processes.

Description: Abstract Passive seismic methods for imaging the discontinuity structure of Earth have primarily focused on differences in vertically and radially polarized energy in the coda of earthquake‐generated body waves (e.g., receiver functions). To convert the timing of scattered wave arrivals to depth, three parameters must be known or inferred: depth or layer thickness (H), P‐wave velocity (VP), and S‐wave velocity (VS). A common way to solve for these parameters is through H‐κ stacking analysis, in which layer thickness and the ratio between VP and VS (κ) is calculated while holding one of the velocity parameters constant. However, this assumption biases estimates of layer properties and leads to uncertainties that are not appropriately quantified. As these results are commonly used as starting models for more complex seismic or geodynamic analyses, these assumptions can propagate much further than the initial study. In this study, we introduce independent observations from body‐wave autocorrelations that can help constrain this underdetermined problem. P‐wave autocorrelation allows for the recovery of the Moho‐reflected P‐wave phase from teleseismic earthquakes, which is removed during deconvolution in the calculation of receiver functions. As the Moho‐reflected P‐wave is independent of VS, this constraint allows us to create a system of equations that better quantifies the thickness, VP, and VS of a layer and produces a more appropriate estimation of associated uncertainties. We apply this to 88 seismic stations that are spatially distributed throughout the United States to obtain a model of crustal variability that is unbiased by a priori assumptions of velocity structure.

Description: Abstract Observations of shallow fault creep reveal increasingly complex time‐dependent slip histories that include quasi‐steady creep and triggered as well as spontaneous accelerated slip events. Here we report a recent slow slip event on the southern San Andreas fault (SSAF) triggered by the 2017 Mw8.2 Chiapas (Mexico) earthquake that occurred 3000 km away. Geodetic and geologic observations indicate that surface slip on the order of 10 mm occurred on a 40‐km‐long section of the SSAF between the Mecca Hills and Bombay Beach, starting minutes after the Chiapas earthquake and continuing for more than a year. Both the magnitude and the depth extent of creep vary along strike. We derive a high‐resolution map of surface displacements by combining Sentinel‐1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) acquisitions from different lines of sight. InSAR‐derived displacements are in good agreement with the creepmeter data and field mapping of surface offsets. Inversions of surface displacement data using dislocation models indicate that the highest amplitudes of surface slip are associated with shallow (〈1 km) transient slip. We performed 2‐D simulations of shallow creep on a strike‐slip fault obeying rate‐and‐state friction to constrain frictional properties of the top few kilometers of the upper crust that can produce the observed behavior.

Description: Abstract Various factors influence particle breakage in the shear zone of silica sands, including particle shape characteristics, loading path, shear displacement, normal load, initial density and boundary conditions. The present study focuses on particle breakage occurring in the shear zone of a crushed silica sand under shear loading. Several ring shear tests were conducted to measure shear stress‐displacement response of a sand. Grain‐size distribution curves of the original sand (prior to shearing) and the sheared sand from the shear zone are then compared. The mechanism of particle breakage is determined by a thorough examination of particle damage under constant normal load (CNL) and constant volume (CV) tests, considering both loose and dense samples. The results show that void ratio is the dominant factor in particle breakage. On the other hand, it is observed that particle breakage resulting from particle shape properties accrue within the initial loading stages. It is observed that the boundary condition may also affect the magnitude of particle breakage, i.e. particle damage under CNL boundary condition is found to be significantly higher than that under CV condition for the same initial normal stress and void ratio.

Description: Abstract The gradual collapse of the subglacial Bárdarbunga caldera in 2014–2015 provided an opportunity to explore the geothermal signals produced by large‐scale volcanic events. In August 2014, four ice cauldrons (shallow depressions on the ice surface) formed on the caldera flank. These cauldrons reached their maximum volume rapidly and then shrank, indicating that they were created during minor subglacial eruptions. Several weeks after the start of the collapse, three cauldrons on the caldera rim grew in volume, with four smaller cauldrons forming in 2015–2017. The cauldrons reached volumes in the range of 1.0 ± 0.2 to 27 ± 3 million m3. HYDROTHERM numerical simulations of fluid flow and heat transport in the uppermost 1 km of the crust were performed to explore possible causes for these thermal signals and in particular assess the role of shallow magmatic intrusions. The heat transfer required to create the more rapidly formed caldera‐rim cauldrons can be reproduced with shallow intrusions into high‐permeability pathways, which greatly enhance the surface thermal signal. The preintrusion temperature of the surrounding bedrock has a major effect on heat transfer to the surface, with cold bedrock causing a buffering effect, whereas temperature conditions close to the boiling point of water produce far more efficient heat transfer due to the formation of steam plumes. Not all observed behavior is reproduced by our models, suggesting that geothermal reservoirs below 1‐km depth may play a significant role in the observed thermal anomalies.

Description: Abstract We describe a suite of repeating long‐period seismic events at Fuego volcano in Guatemala. These events, recorded on a temporary network over a period of 8 days during January 2012, did not occur with any visibly or audibly detectable emissions from the volcano. Events are separated into families based on different correlation coefficient thresholds. A correlation coefficient threshold of 0.70 yields two families with 123 events and 25 events, respectively. These two event families share enough common features that if the correlation coefficient threshold is 0.65, the families merge and grow to include an additional 226 events. The short duration and frequency content concentrated below 2 Hz of the second family allow us to create a phase‐weighted stack which we then inverted for source mechanism and location using unconstrained full‐waveform moment‐tensor inversion. The eigenvalue decompositions of the best‐fit models indicate the source is a crack with some volume change. The short duration of the modeled source time function and the slight variability of signal shape within the suite of repeating events indicate the events are caused by rapid pressurization of cracks or series of connected cracks. The interevent times of these events appear clustered, indicating driving processes more complex than continual degassing of magma in the conduit would allow. Better understanding of these events may shed light on processes not captured by real‐time seismic amplitude measurements or gas flux measurements alone.

Description: Abstract Natural materials contain small grains of magnetic iron oxides that can record information about the magnetic field of the Earth when they form and can be used to document changes in the geomagnetic field through time. Thermoremanent magnetization is the most stable type of remanent magnetization in igneous rocks and can be carried by particle sizes above the upper size limit for single‐domain behavior. To better understand thermoremanent magnetization in particles larger than single domain, we imaged the thermal dependence of magnetic structures in ~1.5‐μm grains of titanomagnetite (Fe2.46Ti0.54O4) using variable‐temperature magnetic force microscopy. At room temperature, grains displayed single‐vortex and multivortex states. Upon heating, the single‐vortex state was found to be stable up to the Curie temperature (~215 °C), whereas multivortex states unblocked between 125 and 200 °C by transitioning into single‐vortex states. During cooling in a weak field (~0.1 mT), single‐vortex states nucleated just below the Curie temperature and remained unchanged to room temperature. The single‐vortex state was the only magnetic state observed at room temperature after weak field thermoremanent magnetization acquisition experiments. These observations indicate that single‐vortex states occur in titanomagnetite and, like single‐domain particles, have high thermal stability necessary for carrying stable paleomagnetic remanence.

Description: Abstract We studied long‐term evolution of non‐transform discontinuities (NTDs) on the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge from 0 to ~20‐25 Ma crust using plate reconstructions of multibeam bathymetry, long‐range HMR1 sidescan sonar, residual mantle Bouguer gravity anomaly, and gravity‐derived crustal thickness. NTDs have propagated north and south with respect to flowlines of relative plate motion and both rapidly and slowly compared to the half spreading rate; at times they have been quasi‐stable. Fast, short‐term (〈2 m.y.) propagation is driven by reduced magma supply (increased extension) in the propagating ridge tip when NTD ridge‐axis offsets are small (〈~ 5 km). Propagation at larger offsets generally is slower and longer‐term. These NTDs can show classic structures of rift propagation including inner and outer pseudofaults and crustal blocks transferred between ridge flanks by discontinuous jumps of the propagating ridge tip. In all cases crustal transfer occurs within the NTD valley. Aside from ridge‐axis offset, the evolution of NTDs appears to be controlled by three factors: (1) Gross volume and distribution of magma supplied to ridge segments as controlled by 3D heterogeneities in mantle fertility and/or dynamic upwelling; this controls fundamental ridge segmentation. (2) The lithospheric plumbing system through which magma is delivered to the crust. (3) The consequent focusing of tectonic extension in magma‐poor parts of spreading segments, typically at segment ends, which can drive propagation. We also observe long‐wavelength (5‐10 m.y.) residual mantle Bouguer anomaly (RMBA) asymmetry between the conjugate ridge flanks, and we attribute this to asymmetric distribution of density anomalies in the upper mantle.

Description: Abstract In the parallel paper by Li et al. (2019), an effluent chemistry monitoring system was designed and used in core flood experiments to continuously measure the effluent concentration and study the evolution of the rock‐fluid system. In this study, the results from the parallel paper were used for interpretation and modeling of the dissolution and wormhole formation. Based on the behavior of the effluent concentration, two transient states and two quasi‐steady states were defined to describe the dissolution in the rock‐fluid system. Dimensional analysis was used to identify the controlling mechanisms of the dissolution and transport in the matrix and the wormholes. The dimensional analysis showed that the dissolution in the matrix was reaction‐controlled, while the dissolution in the wormholes was diffusion‐controlled. It also showed that the rock‐fluid system evolved from reaction‐controlled dissolution to diffusion‐controlled dissolution during the core flood tests. A continuum model and the extended Graetz solution were used to model the dissolution in the matrix and in the wormholes, respectively. In the continuum model, this study estimates the effective surface area as a function of the flow rate (injection flux), to account for the effect of flow conditions on dissolution. Finally, a semi‐empirical model combining the continuum model and the extended Graetz solution was developed to simulate the formation of wormholes and the evolution of the dissolution kinetics during core flood tests.

Description: Abstract Core flood tests were conducted to study the effect of flow rate on the dissolution of the gypsum rock matrix and the formation of wormholes. An effluent chemistry monitoring system (ECMS) was designed and integrated into a triaxial system to provide continuous effluent concentration measurements, in addition to the pressure and flow measurements during the core flood tests. X‐ray computed tomography (CT) was used to study the geometry of the wormholes after the tests. The core flood tests showed agreement with experiments reported in the literature regarding permeability evolution and wormhole breakthrough. By continuously monitoring the effluent concentration, the ECMS advanced the experimental study by showing how the dissolution kinetics evolved with the formation of wormholes. 3D topological and morphological algorithms were developed to analyze the CT data and provide quantitative descriptions for the wormhole geometry. The CT analysis showed that higher flow rates resulted in more complex wormhole geometries regarding the number of wormholes and branches.

Description: Abstract Intergranular pressure solution is a well‐known rock deformation mechanism in wet regions of the upper crust, and has been widely studied, especially in the framework of compaction of granular materials, such as reservoir sandstones and fault rocks. Several analytical models exist that describe compaction creep by stress‐induced mass transport, and the parameters involved are relatively well constrained by laboratory experiments. While these models are capable of predicting compaction behaviour observed at relatively high porosities, they often overestimate compaction rates at porosities below 20% by up to several orders of magnitude. This suggests that the microphysical processes operating at low porosities are different and are not captured well by existing models. The implication is that available models cannot be extrapolated to describe compaction of sediments and fault rocks to the low porosities often reached under natural conditions. To address this problem, we propose a new, thermodynamic model that describes the decline of pressure solution rates within individual grain contacts as a result of time‐averaged growth of asperities or islands and associated constriction of the grain boundary diffusion path (here termed grain boundary evolution). The resulting constitutive equations for single grain‐grain contacts are then combined and solved semi‐analytically. The compaction rates predicted by the model are compared with those measured in high‐strain compaction experiments on wet granular halite. A significant reduction in compaction rate is predicted when grain boundary evolution is considered, which compares favourably with the experimental compaction data.

Description: Abstract Ambient noise is useful for characterizing frequency‐dependent noise levels and for assessing data quality for seismic stations. We use three years of ambient noise spectra from 16 stations in central Alaska to examine environmental and structural influences on seismic stations. The region contains a major river (Tanana river) that is ice‐covered for half the year and is underlain by a sedimentary basin (Nenana basin) that strongly influences the seismic wavefield. Nenana basin amplifies ambient seismic noise by 12–16 dB at 0.1–0.7 Hz and 17–30 dB at 0.7–3 Hz. A meteorological station and river gauge at Nenana provide environmental data for comparison with seismic stations. During the summer, the Tanana river produces noise levels elevated by 30–40 dB at frequencies near 10 Hz, as recorded by all stations within 100 m of the main river channel. The Tanana river lacks any sediment larger than sand in this region; therefore we attribute the 10 Hz river signal to turbulence within the water and to unsteady shearing on the river bottom. The influence of wind is apparent on seismic noise at low (〈0.05 Hz) frequencies, due to atmospheric‐induced tilting, and at high (〉2.0 Hz) frequencies, due to unsteady shearing and turbulence near the ground. Our empirical findings motivate future studies, such as how flow from air or water couples to the ground and how deep sedimentary basins influence the ambient noise wavefield. Our results have implications for seismic site selection, environmental monitoring, and detection and characterization of earthquakes.

Description: Abstract When analyzing the rupture of a large earthquake, geodetic data are often critical. These data are generally characterized by either a good temporal or a good spatial resolution, but rarely both. As a consequence, many studies analyze the co‐seismic rupture with data that also include one or more days of early post‐seismic deformation. Here, we invert simultaneously for the co‐ and post‐seismic slip with the condition that the sum of the two models remains compatible with data covering the two slip episodes. We validate the benefits of this approach with a toy model and an application to the 2009 Mw6.3 L'Aquila earthquake, using a Bayesian approach and accounting for epistemic uncertainties. For the L'Aquila earthquake, we find that if early post‐seismic deformation is not explicitly acknowledged co‐seismic signal, co‐seismic slip models may overestimate the peak amplitude while long‐term post‐seismic models may largely underestimate the total post‐seismic slip amplitude. This example illustrates how the proposed approach could improve our comprehension of the seismic cycle, of fault frictional properties, and the spatial and temporal relationship between seismic rupture, afterslip and aftershocks.

Description: Abstract Here we present high‐resolution 2‐D coupled tectonic‐surface processes modeling of extensional basin formation. We focus on understanding feedbacks between erosion and deposition and tectonics during rift and passive margin formation. We test the combined effects of crustal rheology and varying surface process efficiency on structural style of rift and passive margin formation. The forward models presented here allow to identify the following four feedback relations between surface processes and tectonic deformation during rifted margin formation. (1) Erosion and deposition promote strain localization and enhance large offset asymmetric normal fault growth. (2) Progressive infill from proximal to more distal half‐grabens promotes the formation of synthetic sets of basin ward dipping normal faults for intermediate crustal strength cases. (3) Sediment loading on top of undeformed crustal rafts in weak crust cases enhances mid and lower crustal flow resulting in sag basin subsidence. (4) Interaction of high sediment supply to the distal margin in very weak crust cases results in detachment based rollover sedimentary basins. Our models further show that erosion efficiency and drainage area provide a first order control on sediment supply during rifting where rift related topography is relatively quickly eroded. Long term sustained sediment supply to the rift basins requires elevated onshore drainage basins. We discuss similar variations in structural style observed in natural systems and compare them with the feedbacks identified here.

Description: Abstract We investigate energy partitioning using seismological methods of sources with estimated sub‐micron levels of slip in the laboratory. Estimates inferred from recorded seismic waves are founded on micro‐scale phenomenological friction experiments in the laboratory and appear to be constrained by the inherent assumptions. In this concerted study, we build on the methods used to absolutely calibrate an array of piezoelectric transducers in a direct shear laboratory apparatus. We found that flat‐broadband sensor behavior, allowed us to study source‐extent parameters using spectral source models that are typically used to interpret small to moderate‐sized earthquakes. We computed the corner frequencies, low‐frequency plateaus and high‐frequency spectral falloff exponent using single station assumptions. Moment magnitude ranged from ‐9〈Mw〈‐7.5 and slip was on the order of nanometers to micrometers ‐ extending our understanding of source parameters studied via seismic waves. A number of findings are highlighted: (i) Variations in spectral falloff with corner frequencies followed the observations made in natural conditions. (ii) Corner frequency shift phenomena was observed (fcP/fcS∼ 1.34) and was attributed to source finiteness rather than wave propagation effects. (iii) Events were stress‐overshoot as determined by the Savage‐Wood efficiency. (iv) The empirical power law scaling relationship between fracture energy and slip, given as , where nG=1.28 appears to breakdown with seismological estimates made at the mining scale (nG=1.86) and laboratory scale (nG=2.35). This break in scaling may be related to the types of off‐fault energy sinks that are inherently captured in the seismological interpretation of fracture energy.

Description: Abstract Nanograins (〈〈 1 μm) are common in the principal slip zones of natural and experimental faults, but their formation and influence on fault mechanical behaviour are poorly understood. We performed transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD; spatial resolution 20‐50 nm) on the principal slip zone of an experimental carbonate gouge (50 wt.% calcite, 50 wt.% dolomite) that was deformed at a maximum slip rate of 1.2 ms‐1 for 0.4 m displacement. The principal slip zone (PSZ) consists of nanogranular aggregates of calcite, Mg‐calcite, dolomite and periclase, dominated by grain sizes in the range of 100‐300 nm. Nanograins in the ultrafine (〈 800 nm) PSZ matrix have negligible internal lattice distortion, while grains 〉 800 nm in size contain subgrains. A weak crystallographic preferred orientation is observed as a clustering of calcite c‐axes within the PSZ. The high‐resolution microstructural observations from TKD, in combination with published flow laws for calcite, are compatible with high‐velocity slip in the PSZ having been accommodated by a combination of grain size sensitive creep in the ultrafine matrix, and grain size insensitive creep in the larger grains, with the former process likely controlling the bulk rheology of the PSZ after dynamic weakening. If the activation energy for creep is lowered by the nanogranular nature of the aggregates, this could facilitate grain size sensitive creep at high (coseismic) strain rates and only moderate bulk temperatures of c. 600 °C, although temperatures up to 1000 °C could be locally achieved due to processes such as flash heating.

Description: Abstract Nevado de Toluca is a stratovolcano in the densely populated Mexican Highland and the source of three late Pleistocene Plinian eruptions. While the characterization of the magmatic processes and time scales, leading to these events is crucial to evaluate potential signals of the reawakening of this volcano, they are not well constrained. Here we present insights gathered from the analysis of mineral zoning. Abrupt changes in plagioclase compositions [anorthite (An) 〉10 mol. %] record repeated thermochemical disturbance of a shallow magma reservoir prior to the three eruptions investigated. In particular, sudden chemical changes in the outermost crystal rims indicate that the eruptions were triggered by recharge of less evolved magma. Recalculated melt compositions reveal that magma input is chemically heterogeneous. Orthopyroxene compositions span a large range [En53‐En92, Cr2O3 of up to 0.9 wt. %] resulting from magma hybridization, which is consistent with a late‐stage temperature increase recorded by amphibole chemistry. Using diffusion chronometry, we show that this recharge typically occurs decades to centuries before Plinian eruptions and hence on time scales relevant for volcano monitoring. Additionally, modelling of Mg profiles in plagioclase constraints the duration of differentiation cycles to be millennial in order of magnitude. Our study shows that similar processes preceded explosive eruptions from Nevado de Toluca, suggesting that analogous paths of unrest should be considered when evaluating potential future activity. We emphasize that signs of deep crustal activity, such as relatively broad deformation pattern surrounding the volcano, could herald the reactivation of Nevado de Toluca.

Description: Abstract Conduit models of volcanic eruptions simulate magma evolution through phase transitions and material changes during ascent. We present a time‐dependent one‐dimensional model of a chamber‐conduit system to examine the temporal evolution of dome‐forming eruptions. As magma ascends, volatiles exsolve and may escape vertically through the column or laterally through the conduit walls. Magma solidifies which increases viscosity, leading to a natural transition from viscous flow at depth to frictional sliding along the conduit walls near the surface, resulting in the extrusion of a semi‐solid plug. The model evaluates time‐ and depth‐dependent pressure, velocity, porosity and relative amounts of exsolved water to carbon dioxide. Transient effects arise when magma outflux from the chamber appreciably decreases pressure over the magma ascent timescale. For low magma permeability, transient effects increase porosity and velocity relative to steady‐state solutions. For high magma permeability, efficient vertical and lateral gas escape depresses porosity and velocity at later times. We use the model to predict three time‐series datasets from the 2004‐2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens: extruded volume, ground deformation and carbon dioxide emissions. We quantify sensitivity of model predictions to input parameters using the Distance‐based Generalized Sensitivity Analysis. Chamber volatile content, volume and excess pressure influence the amplitude of observables, while conduit radius, frictional rate‐dependence and magma permeability scale influence temporal evolution. High magma permeability can cause marked departures from exponentially decaying flux and may explain the unique temporal evolution of deformation observed at the only nearby continuous GPS station in operation at eruption onset.

Description: Abstract With the improvement of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observation accuracy and the establishment of large continuously operating networks, long GNSS time series are now widely used to understand a range of Earth deformation processes. The continuously operating stations of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China capture deformation signals due to time‐dependent tectonic, nontectonic mass loading, and potentially unknown geophysical processes. In order to separate and recover these underlying sources accurately and effectively, we apply the independent component analysis (ICA) to decompose the observed time series of vertical displacements. Then, we compare these signals with those predicted from independently developed geophysical process models of atmospheric, nontidal ocean, snow, soil moisture mass loading, and the Land Surface Discharge Model, as well as with Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment observations. For comparison, we also perform the principal component analysis decomposition of time series and find that the ICA achieves a more consistent representation of multiple geophysical contributors to annual vertical GNSS displacements. ICA can decompose the long‐term trend and different seasonal and multiannual signals that closely correspond to the independently derived mass loading models. We find that independent contributions from atmospheric, soil moisture, and snow mass loading can be resolved from the GNSS data. Discrepancies are likely due to the correlated nature of some of the loading processes and unmodeled contributions from groundwater and surface water changes in South Central China and the Ganges Basin.

Description: Abstract Single‐domain magnetite particles exhibit minimum susceptibility along their elongation, resulting in so‐called inverse fabric of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). We report the discovery of inverse AMS fabrics from pelagic clay recovered by a ∼12 m long piston core from the western North Pacific. A previous study identified fossil single‐domain magnetite produced by magnetotactic bacteria (magnetofossils) as the dominant ferrimagnetic mineral in the sediment. The inverse AMS fabrics were found in a ∼2 m zone. The ∼6 and ∼4 m of sediment above and below this zone showed normal, horizontal AMS fabrics. Rock magnetic data and ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy indicated that magnetofossils account for most of the mean susceptibility regardless of normal or inverse AMS. This was explained by the mixing models where the inverse fabric from magnetofossils is nearly balanced by the normal fabrics of terrigenous minerals. The corrected degree of AMS carried by magnetofossils in the sediment was estimated to be ∼1.01, which is comparable to that of typical pelagic sediment at shallow depth. On the other hand, terrigenous minerals in the sediment were estimated to have higher degree of anisotropy, possibly reflecting burial and subsequent erosion of 〉80 m of sediment, which was also suggested by a subbottom acoustic stratigraphy. This suggests that inverse AMS fabrics due to magnetofossils may be widespread in pelagic clay without strong compaction.

Description: Abstract We employ strong motion seismograms and static offsets from the Global Positioning System, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, and other measurements in order to derive a coseismic slip and afterslip model of the M6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa earthquake. This earthquake ruptured an ∼13‐km‐long portion of the West Napa fault with predominantly right‐lateral strike slip. In the kinematic seismic slip inversions, we couple the coseismic slip and afterslip distributions by requiring both distributions to involve right‐lateral strike slip with positive amplitude, with the net static slip being the sum of the two. We consider several candidate fault geometries: a first involving two steeply east dipping fault planes that reach Earth's surface at the western surface trace (STW), where most surface rupture was observed, a second involving a steeply west dipping plane that also reaches Earth's surface at the STW, and a third involving a combination of two variably west dipping planes constrained to pass through the locus of postseismic seismicity located ∼1 km west of the STW. The data are best fit using the model of two east dipping fault planes, with coseismic slip up to ∼1.2 m on a dominant shallow asperity about 10 km north of the hypocenter and on deeper asperities on the southern part of the rupture. Afterslip up to 1 m is concentrated along the southern part of the rupture at depths 5 km, consistent with surface observations of afterslip. Seismic moments associated with coseismic slip and afterslip are 1.13×1018 N m (Mw 6.00) and 3.64×1017 N m, respectively.

Description: Abstract Viscosity and elasticity are material properties essential for understanding the composition, dynamics, and evolution of the Earth's core, yet their intrinsic connection as embedded in the general theory of viscoelasticity is not well explored. Here we use molecular dynamics to determine the viscoelasticity of liquid iron at conditions of the Earth's outer core. The frequency‐dependent viscosity and shear modulus are determined from the power spectrum of the stress autocorrelation function. We find that the stress autocorrelation function is well characterized by a generalized Maxwell model containing two relaxation modes. The mode with shorter relaxation time (τ1) corresponds to the motion of individual atoms; the other with longer relaxation time (τ2) is associated with collective motions. As temperature (T ) decreases, the slow‐decaying mode becomes more prominent with increasingly larger τ2. In contrast, τ1 remains nearly constant (∼0.016 ps). The infinite frequency shear modulus (G∞), which characterizes the instantaneous shear response, is found to be larger than the static shear modulus of hexagonal close‐packed (hcp) iron of the same density and increases linearly with T. Based on these findings as well as seismic analyses (Tsuboi & Saito, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03351717; Krasnoshchekov et al., 2005, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03613), the zero frequency viscosity (η0) of the lowermost outer core is inferred as 109 Pa·s. The likely material states exhibiting such viscosities are discussed. Moreover, we show that to retain the rigidity consistent with seismic observations, the η0 of the inner core should be at least 1013 Pa·s.

Description: Abstract The H‐κ method (Zhu and Kanamori, 2000) has been widely used to estimate the crustal thickness (H) and the ratio of P to S velocities (VP/VS ratio, κ) with receiver functions. However, in regions where the crustal structure is complicated, the method may produce biased results, arising particularly from dipping Moho and/or crustal anisotropy. H‐κ stacking in case of azimuthal or radial anisotropy with flat Moho has been proposed, but not for cases with plunging anisotropy and dipping Moho. Here, we propose a generalized H‐κ method called H‐κ‐c, which corrects for these effects first before stacking. We consider rather general cases, including plunging anisotropy and dipping interfaces of multiple layers, and use harmonic functions to correct for arrival time variations of Ps and its crustal multiples with back‐azimuth (θ). Systematic synthetic tests show the arrival time variations can be well fitted by cosθ and cos2θ functions even for very complex crustal structures. Correcting for the back‐azimuthal variations significantly enhances H‐κ stacking. We verify the feasibility of the H‐κ‐c method by applying it to 40 permanent stations in various geological setting across the Mainland China. The results show clear improvement after the harmonic corrections, with clearer multiples and stronger stacking energy, as well as more reliable H‐κ values. Large differences in H (up to 5.0 km) and κ (up to 0.09) between the new and traditional methods occur mostly in mountainous regions, where the crustal structure tends to be more complex. We caution in particular about systematic bias when the traditional method is used in the presence of dipping interfaces. The modified method is simple and applicable anywhere in the world.

Description: Abstract Pore structure is a crucial attribute in characterizing fluid flow through porous media. However, direct experimental measurements or numerical reconstructions are commonly expensive and not environmentally friendly, with great uncertainty caused by the complex nature of porous media. In this study, we demonstrate that one special "bridge function", which is a function of the apparent length and tortuosity fractal dimension, can characterize the relationship of pore structures between two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D), and it can serve as a conversion bridge of the radius to determine the capillary pressure curve (CPC). We compare estimations by the proposed method with experimental results obtained by mercury intrusion porosimetry in six typical natural sandstones with varying porosities and permeabilities. The result shows that cross sections of the global pore structure, such as thin section, electronic probe, and micro computed tomography slices, give a reliable estimation of the CPC using the bridge function in porous media with a medium porosity. However, in unconventional porous media with a relatively low porosity (~10%) or extra high porosity (~30%), due to the empirical nature of the equation widely used to calculate the tortuosity fractal dimension, the necessary modification is necessary to obtain the CPC when applying the bridge function in such porous media. This insight can significantly simplify the procedure for obtaining the petrophysical properties of a porous medium, which may shed light on the inherent differences and correlations between the 2D and 3D pore structures of porous media.

Description: Abstract Seaward Dipping Reflectors (SDRs) are large piles of seaward‐thickening volcanic wedges imaged seismically along most rifted continental margins. Despite their global ubiquity, it is still debated whether the primary cause of SDR formation is tectonic faulting or magmatic loading. To study how SDRs might form we developed the first two‐dimensional thermo‐mechanical model that can account for both tectonics and magmatism development of SDRs during rifting. We focus here on the magmatic loading mechanism and show that the shape of SDRs may provide unprecedented constraints on lithospheric strength at volcanic rifting margins. For mapping SDRs geometries to lithospheric strength, a sequence of model lithospheric rheologies are treated, ranging from analytic thin elastic plates to numerical thick elasto‐visco‐plastic crust and mantle layers with temperature and stress dependent viscosity. We then analyzed multi‐channel seismic depth‐converted images of SDRs from Vøring and Argentinian rifted margins in terms of geometric parameters that can be compared to our model results. This results in estimates for the lithospheric thickness during rifting at the two margins of 3.4 and 5.7 km. The plate thickness correlates inversely with mantle potential temperature at these margins during rifting, as estimated by independent studies.

Description: Abstract Jurassic paleomagnetic data from North America have long been contentious, generating ambiguities in the shape of the global‐composite apparent polar wander path (APWP). Here we show from a restudy of two subdivisions of the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation at the classic locality at Norwood on the Colorado Plateau that the derived paleopoles reflect variable overprinting probably in the Cretaceous and are of limited value for APW determination. We instead assembled an updated set of Jurassic paleopoles from parauthocthonous Adria, the African promontory, using primary paleomagnetic component directions derived from stratigraphically superposed intervals and corrected for sedimentary inclination error. These paleopoles are found to be in superb agreement with independent igneous paleopoles from the literature across the so‐called Jurassic monster polar shift, which in North American coordinates is a jump of ~30° arc‐distance from the 190–160 Ma stillstand pole at 79.5°N 104.8°E to a 148±3.5 Ma pole at 60.8°N 200.6°E defined by four Adria sedimentary paleopoles and the published Ithaca, Hinlopenstretet, and Swartsruggens‐Bumbeni igneous paleopoles. The implied high rate of polar motion of ~2.5°/Myr across the monster shift is compatible with maximum theoretical estimates for true polar wander (TPW). We include a critique of published Jurassic paleomagnetic data that have been variably used in reference APWPs but that as a result of their low quality muted the real magnitude of the Jurassic monster shift. Finally, we provide paleocontinental reconstructions to describe examples of the bold signature that the monster polar shift left in the distribution of climate‐sensitive sedimentary facies worldwide.

Description: Abstract Our 2‐D layered velocity model along‐strike northeastern Nova Scotian margin, constrained by wide‐angle seismic Profile OCTOPUS and coincident 9‐km streamer Profile GXT‐5100, displays highly variable basement structures interpreted to define four distinct zones within the continent‐ocean transition (COT). Zone I, with thin (1–2 km) and laterally uniform upper crust (5.2–5.5 km/s) and high velocity lower crust (6.5–7.7 km/s). Zone II, with velocities of 5.5–7.5 km/s and a high vertical velocity gradient (∼1.1 /s) characteristic of exhumed serpentinized (up to 90%) mantle (ESM) above ∼3.5 km thick slightly (〈30%) serpentinized mantle layer of reduced mantle velocities (7.5–8.0 km/s). Zone III, with 1–2 km thick upper crust and velocity of ∼5.2 km/s above a ∼6 km thick, moderately (〈60%) serpentinized mantle layer (velocity ∼6.4–7.9 km/s). Zone IV, with lower crust (∼0.7–3.0 km thick and with velocity of 6.1–6.6 km/s) between upper crust (velocity ∼5.0–5.4 km/s) and a slightly serpentinized mantle layer (〈40%; velocity ∼7.3–8.0 km/s). These COT structures represent embryonic oceanic or rifted continental crust, and ESM. By combining our results with those from two dip‐oriented crossing profiles, we map a regional track of non‐ESM landward of the OCTOPUS profile with mostly uniform along‐dip width, but a limited extent and variable width section of ESM seaward. Our results indicate that there can be a remarkable amount of short‐wavelength (e.g., 50 km) lateral structural variability within individual rifted margin segments, but that mapping it requires a grid of modern wide‐angle profiles.

Description: Abstract As new techniques exploiting the Earth's ambient seismic noise field are developed and applied, such as for the observation of temporal changes in seismic velocity structure, it is crucial to quantify the precision with which wave‐type measurements can be made. This work uses array data at the Homestake mine in Lead, South Dakota and an array at Sweetwater, Texas to consider two aspects that control this precision: the types of seismic wave contributing to the ambient noise field at microseism frequencies and the effect of array geometry. Both are quantified using measurements of wavefield coherence between stations in combination with Wiener filters. We find a strong seasonal change between body‐wave and surface‐wave content. Regarding the inclusion of underground stations, we quantify the lower limit to which the ambient noise field can be characterized and reproduced; the applications of the Wiener filters are about 4 times more successful in reproducing ambient noise waveforms when underground stations are included in the array, resulting in predictions of seismic timeseries with less than a 1% residual, and are ultimately limited by the geometry and aperture of the array, as well as by temporal variations in the seismic field. We discuss the implications of these results for the geophysics community performing ambient seismic noise studies, as well as for the cancellation of seismic Newtonian gravity noise in ground‐based, sub‐Hz, gravitational‐wave detectors.

Description: Abstract It has been widely recognized that the cross‐correlation function (CCF) of ambient seismic noise data recorded at two stations approximates to the part of GreenâĂŹs function between two stations. Therefore, the CCF should include higher‐modes, aside from the fundamental mode. However, the problem of measuring or extracting overtones from ambient seismic noise data remains. In this paper, we propose the frequency‐Bessel Transform Method (F‐J method) for extracting the dispersion curves of higher‐modes from ambient seismic noise data. We then assess the validity, accuracy and applicability of the F‐J method by conducting extensive numerical simulations and processing the observed ambient seismic noise data of the USArray. As demonstrated in this study, the F‐J method is a convenient, practical, and accurate method for extracting the dispersion curves of multi‐modes from ambient seismic noise data and therefore has significant potentiality in the field of ambient seismic noise tomography.

Description: Abstract In Mogul west of Reno, Nevada, USA in late February 2008 an earthquake sequence occurred that culminated in a magnitude 4.9 mainshock after a foreshock‐rich period lasting approximately 2 months on previously unidentified fault structures. In this article, we show that the foreshock sequence may have been driven by a fluid pressure intrusion. We use 1082 previously calculated earthquake focal mechanisms to infer the local stress field as well as 1408 relocated foreshock events to determine the required excess fluid pressure field in the source region of the Mogul earthquake sequence to trigger these events. A model of nonlinear pore‐pressure diffusion is used to model the fluid flow in a highly fractured subsurface. We find a strong correlation between high fluid pressure fronts and foreshock hypocenters, suggesting a natural fluid‐driven earthquake sequence.

Description: Abstract Aseismic crack growth upon activation of fault slip due to fluid injection may or may not lead to the nucleation of a dynamic rupture depending on in‐situ conditions, frictional properties of the fault and the value of overpressure. In particular, a fault is coined as unstable if its residual frictional strength τr is lower than the in‐situ background shear stress τo. We study here how fault dilatancy associated with slip affect shear crack propagation due to fluid injection. We use a planar bi‐dimensional model with frictional weakening and assume that fluid flow only takes place along the fault (impermeable rock / immature fault). Dilatancy induces an undrained pore‐pressure drop locally strengthening the fault. We introduce an undrained residual fault shear strength (function of dilatancy) and show theoretically that under the assumption of small scale yielding, an otherwise unstable fault (τr 〈 τo) is stabilized when is larger than τo. We numerically solve the complete coupled hydro‐mechanical problem and confirm this theoretical estimate. It is important to note that the undrained residual strength is fully activated only if residual friction is reached. Dilatancy stabilizes an otherwise unstable fault if the nucleation of an unabated dynamic rupture ‐without dilatancy‐ is affected by residual friction, which is the case for sufficiently large injection pressure. We also discuss the effect of fault permeability increase due to slip. Our numerical results show that permeability increases lead to faster aseismic growth but do not impact the stabilizing effect of dilatancy with respect to dynamic rupture.

Description: Abstract We investigate seismic velocity changes in response to the tidal strain at Izu‐Oshima volcano, Japan, by analyzing the data of permanent seismic stations and a small seismic array to evaluate the characteristics of strain sensitivity of velocity changes. We estimate the seismic velocity changes by phase differences between cross‐correlations functions of ambient noises at the frequency of 2–4 Hz stacked for time periods with different tidal strain amplitudes. The seismic velocity changes decrease and increase during dilatation and contraction periods, respectively, when analyzing the cross‐correlations functions at early lapse‐times ranging from 2 to 7 s. The strain sensitivity of seismic velocity changes is estimated to be at the early lapse‐times. However, we find that strain sensitivity of the seismic velocity changes decreases when analyzing the cross‐correlation functions at later lapse‐times from 7 s to 35 s. Applying an array analysis to the cross‐correlation functions, we observe apparent velocities of about 1 km/s at the early lapse‐times and those of higher than 1 km/s at the late lapse‐times. Since the group velocity of Rayleigh waves is 1.1 km/s at Izu‐Oshima volcano, the apparent velocities at the late lapse‐times may indicate the scattered or reflected body waves incident from a deeper region. Decrease of strain sensitivity with the lapse times therefore results from the emergence of body waves on the late lapse‐times. These results highlight the need to pay attention to wave types of cross correlation functions and their paths to interpret seismic velocity changes.

Description: Abstract We present a local quasi‐geoid (QG) model which combines a satellite‐only global gravity model (GGM) with local datasets using weighted least‐squares. The QG is computed for an area comprising the Netherlands, Belgium, and the southern North Sea. It uses a two‐scale spherical radial basis function model complemented by bias parameters to account for systematic errors in the local gravity datasets. Variance factors are estimated for the noise covariance matrices of all involved datasets using variance component estimation. The standard deviation (SD) of the differences between the computed QG and GPS/levelling data is 0.95 cm and 1.52 cm for the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively. The fact that the SD of the control data is about 0.60 cm and 1.20 cm for the Netherlands and Belgium, respectively, points to a lower mean SD of the computed QG model of about 0.7 cm for the Netherlands and 1.0 cm for Belgium. The differences to a QG model computed with the remove‐compute‐restore technique range from ‐5.2 to 2.6 cm over the whole model domain and from ‐1.5 to 1.5 cm over the Netherlands and Belgium. A variogram analysis of the differences with respect to GPS/levelling data reveals a better performance of the computed QG model compared to a remove‐compute‐restore‐based QG model for wavelengths 〉100 km for Belgium, but not for the Netherlands. The latter is due to the fact that at the spatial scales resolved by the GGM, variance component estimation assigns significantly lower weights to the local datasets in favour of the GGM.

Description: Abstract We present a thermodynamic model for liquid iron, based on ab‐initio molecular dynamics simulations which is applicable to 2 TPa and beyond 10,000 K, conditions that are relevant in the cores of super‐Earths. We combine ab‐initio results for V‐T‐P with a correction scheme to match experimental properties at ambient pressure, where ab‐initio results show poor agreement. We explore the performance of our thermodynamic potential and various previously published models for liquid iron over a wide range of conditions: (i) at ambient pressure as a function of temperature, (ii) along the melting curve of Fe to 40 GPa, relevant for the cores of smaller terrestrial bodies in our solar system, (iii) along isentropes in the Earth's outer core and (iv) for the core of super‐Earth Kepler‐36b. The correction term significantly improves the agreement of computed properties with experiments and other thermodynamic models that are based on an assessment of the phase diagram at ambient and moderate pressure, showing how ab‐initio molecular dynamics simulations can be used at par with other thermodynamic techniques. For the Earth's core, densities from the various models are similar, but higher‐order derivatives (acoustic velocities and Grüneisen parameter) show significant differences. Evaluated along a core‐temperature profile in Kepler‐36b, differences in density from various models are negligible, for core mass they do not exceed 2%, showing robust extrapolation of all equation of state models.

Description: Abstract The Permian tectonic setting of the Lhasa Terrane in southern Tibet remains controversial (i.e., continental rift vs. subduction–collision) and is crucial to palinspastic reconstructions of the eastern Tethys during the break‐up of Gondwana. In this study, we present new geochronological, geochemical, and mineralogical data for the Permian (~262 Ma) Yawa intrusions in the southern Lhasa Terrane. These rocks are silica‐undersaturated and alkaline, with high TiO2 and moderate MgO, and exhibit enrichments in Th, light rare earth elements, and Nb–Ta, and depletions in K. These chemical compositions, combined with uniform whole‐rock (87Sr/86Sr)i (0.7039–0.7044), εNd(t) (1.85–2.81), and εHf(t) (4.21–6.90) values, and zircon εHf(t) (4.53–9.97) and δ18O (5.04‰–5.76‰) values indicate the magmas were derived by partial melting of amphibole‐rich lithospheric mantle. The magmas subsequently underwent fractionation of clinopyroxene, amphibole, garnet, and Fe–Ti oxides. The amphibole in the lithospheric mantle likely formed as cumulates from low‐degree asthenospheric melts during incipient extension. Given that the amphibole‐rich metasomatic veins have a lower melting temperature than the surrounding peridotite, they were susceptible to melting during the early stages of thermal perturbation of the mantle. Because there is no evidence of Permian continental subsidence in the Lhasa Terrane, we suggest the Yawa intrusions were formed at the onset of lithospheric extension associated with initial rifting of the Lhasa Terrane from the Indian Plate during Gondwana breakup, which was a precursor to the opening of the Neo‐Tethys Ocean.

Description: Abstract We determine earthquake stress drops directly from the Arias intensity database of NGA‐West2. Arias intensity (Arias, 1970) is an engineering measure proportional to the integral of the absolute value of acceleration squared, over the significant duration of the signal. As such, it is closely related to root‐mean‐square acceleration, and can readily be connected to earthquake stress drop (Hanks and McGuire, 1981). Arias intensity records out to 100 km yield stable stress drops for moderate‐to‐large magnitude earthquakes, M6.5+; for smaller events ~M4.5 – 6.5, only closer‐in records yield stable results. For the 116 events considered, stress drops are about 35% larger for Class 1 mainshocks than for traditional on‐fault Class 2 aftershocks, and smaller for those aftershocks close to the main fault plane. Aftershock stress drops show large variability, however, implying that on average they re‐rupture weakened patches, but can also rupture intact rock or high‐stress asperities. We observe an increase of stress drop with earthquake depth similar to that of other studies but do not find any significant faulting mechanism dependence. The variability of the Arias intensity‐based stress drop is lower than that of eGf‐based stress drops from Baltay et al. (2010, 2011), and nearly on par with variability seen in ground‐motion prediction equations. The Arias intensity stress drop is a novel and promising method to estimate stress drop without the need for path and site corrections, and yields further insight into the connection between source physics and ground‐motion.

Description: Abstract We present a model of the electrical resistivity structure of the lithosphere in the Central Andes between 20°S and 24°S from 3‐D inversion of 56 long‐period magnetotelluric sites. Our model shows a complex resistivity structure with significant variability parallel‐ and perpendicular to the trench direction. The continental forearc is characterized mainly by high electrical resistivity (〉1000 Ωm), suggesting overall low volumes of fluids. However, low resistivity zones (LRZs, 〈5 Ωm) were found in the continental forearc below areas where major trench‐parallel faults systems intersect NW‐SE transverse faults. Forearc LRZs indicate circulation and accumulation of fluids in highly permeable fault zones. The continental crust along the arc shows three distinctive resistivity domains, which coincide with segmentation in the distribution of volcanoes. The northern domain (20°‐20.5°S) is characterized by resistivities 〉1000 Ωm and the absence of active volcanism, suggesting the presence of a low‐permeability block in the continental crust. The central domain (20.5°‐23°S) exhibits a number of LRZs at varying depths, indicating different levels of a magmatic plumbing system. The southern domain (23°‐24°S) is characterized by resistivities 〉1000 Ωm, suggesting the absence of large magma reservoirs below the volcanic chain at crustal depths. Magma reservoirs located below the base of the crust or in the back‐arc may fed active volcanism in the southern domain. In the subcontinental mantle, the model exhibits LRZs in the forearc mantle wedge and above clusters of intermediate‐depth seismicity, likely related to fluids produced by serpentinization of the mantle and eclogitization of the slab, respectively.

Description: Abstract The 2016 MW 7.8 Pedernales, Ecuador, megathrust earthquake produced notable crustal deformation and generated an extensive aftershock sequence that included two M6.5+ events. We combine an improved teleseismic earthquake catalog for Ecuador with analysis of coseismic interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data derived from the Sentinel‐1A satellite to better delineate the spatial and temporal slip history of the megathrust fault in absolute space. The revised teleseismic catalog spans 1961‐2016 and incorporates catalog phase onset times and waveform correlation derived differential times to locate earthquakes. Using teleseismic double‐difference (DD) tomography to simultaneously solve for an updated regional 3D compressional velocity model and locations yields earthquakes shifted ~25 kilometers southwest relative to rapidly available teleseismic catalogs. The DD catalog better compares in absolute space to the Ecuadorian local catalog and better models the measured deformation fields of the 2016 Pedernales mainshock and largest aftershocks. Additionally, the DD mainshock location agrees with local‐scale seismic and geodetic studies that show the 2016 event had concentrated slip on a highly‐coupled asperity that likely participated in the 1942 Ecuador megathrust earthquake. The two large aftershocks also ruptured on the megathrust where moderate to strong interseismic coupling is observed. The DD catalog contains moderate sized aftershocks that concentrate outside high slip regions, primarily in areas that produced earthquakes during the interseismic cycle, and outside areas of aseismic slip. Development of rapid relative location approaches linking new seismicity to better constrained global catalogs could aid with near real‐time hazard assessment in areas lacking local data.

Description: Abstract The most recent Giant Gaussian Process (GGP) model, based on the last 5 Ma, has been used as a reference for directional distribution of paleomagnetic record of older rocks as Cenozoic and Proterozoic. However, for Paleozoic times its validity has not yet been tested. Here, we evaluate the validity of this recent GGP model for the Kiaman superchron. We present new paleomagnetic results from a late Pennsylvanian section of glacial rhythmites (Mafra Formation) from southern Brazil. The five meter section sampled spans more than 800 kyr, as evaluated by cyclostratigraphic analysis. Thermal demagnetization revealed a reversed characteristic component carried by single domain magnetite. Anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization indicated a small shallowing correction of f = 0.97. The final paleomagnetic pole position is located at 51.9°S, 344.3°E (N = 111, R = 109.0, K = 55.9, A95 = 1.8°) with a mean direction of Dec = 144.2°, Inc = 69.5° (N = 111, R = 110.2, k = 134.4, α95 = 1.2°, Paleolat = 53.2°S). The shape of the distribution of magnetization directions (elongation E = and the dispersion of virtual geomagnetic poles ( are incompatible with the recent model. The reduced dispersion, also found in other studies, implies a different shape in directional distributions for any GGP model describing the Kiaman interval. This result alerts us that we should abandon the use of the recent GGP model as a reference for inclination shallowing correction of Carboniferous sedimentary data.

Description: Abstract We used a newly developed Pn tomography method to obtain high resolution uppermost mantle velocity and anisotropy structures beneath the Northwest Pacific region. The observed Pn velocities are consistent with the local tectonic background, where high Pn velocities are observed beneath the Japan Trench area and Songliao Basin, and low Pn velocities beneath the Kuril Islands, Japan Archipelago–Izu Islands, Kyushu Island, Changbaishan–Jingpohu volcanoes, Korea Peninsula and Japan Basin. The new Pn velocity image outlines the subducting slabs along the trenches and the young seafloor within the Japan Basin. Our results also support the existence of hot upwelling feeding the Changbaishan, Jingpohu, and Chuga‐Ryong volcanoes, where small‐scale mantle convection may exist below the Northeast China region. Further east, both trench‐parallel anisotropy below arcs and trench‐perpendicular anisotropy within the back‐arc region suggest subduction‐dominant mantle flow, where anisotropy may be attributable to the lattice‐preferred orientation of olivine induced by flow‐related strain. The highly accurate uppermost mantle velocity and anisotropy structures provide crucial information outlining the complex dynamic processes near convergent plate boundaries.