Pervasive Seismic Wave Reflectivity and Metasomatism of the Tonga Mantle Wedge

Subduction zones play critical roles in the recycling of oceanic lithosphere and the generation of continental crust. Seismic imaging can reveal structures associated with key dynamic processes occurring in the upper-mantle wedge above the sinking oceanic slab. Three-dimensional images of reflecting interfaces throughout the upper-mantle wedge above the subducting Tonga slab were obtained by migration of teleseismic recordings of underside P- and S-wave reflections. Laterally continuous weak reflectors with tens of kilometers of topography were detected at depths near 90, 125, 200, 250, 300, 330, 390, 410, and 450 kilometers. P- and S-wave impedances decreased at the 330-kilometer and 450-kilometer reflectors, and S-wave impedance decreased near 200 kilometers in the vicinity of the slab and near 390 kilometers, just above the global 410-kilometer increase. The pervasive seismic reflectivity results from phase transitions and compositional zonation associated with extensive metasomatism involving slab-derived fluids rising through the wedge.

Superplumes from the core-mantle boundary to the lithosphere: implications for heat flux

Three-dimensional modeling of upper-mantle anelastic structure reveals that thermal upwellings associated with the two superplumes, imaged by seismic elastic tomography at the base of the mantle, persist through the upper-mantle transition zone and are deflected horizontally beneath the lithosphere. This explains the unique transverse shear wave isotropy in the central Pacific. We infer that the two superplumes may play a major and stable role in supplying heat and horizontal flow to the low-viscosity asthenospheric channel, lubricating plate motions and feeding hot spots. We suggest that more heat may be carried through the core-mantle boundary than is accounted for by hot spot fluxes alone.

Repeating deep earthquakes: evidence for fault reactivation at great depth

We have identified three groups of deep earthquakes showing nearly identical waveforms in the Tonga slab. Relocation with a cross-correlation method shows that each cluster is composed of 10 to 30 earthquakes along a plane 10 to 30 kilometers in length. Some of the earthquakes are colocated, demonstrating repeated rupture of the same fault, and one pair of events shows identical rupture complexity, suggesting that the temporal and spatial rupture pattern was repeated. Recurrence intervals show an inverse time distribution, indicating a strong temporal control over fault reactivation. Runaway thermal shear instabilities may explain temporally clustered earthquakes with similar waveforms located along slip zones weakened by shear heating. Earthquake doublets that occur within a few hours are consistent with events recurring before the thermal energy of the initial rupture can diffuse away.