Asthenosphere rheology inferred from observations of the 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake

Constraining Earth's nonlinear mantle viscosity using plate-boundary resolving global inversions

Variable viscosity in Earth's mantle exerts a fundamental control on mantle convection and plate tectonics, yet rigorously constraining the underlying parameters has remained a challenge. Inverse methods have not been sufficiently robust to handle the severe viscosity gradients and nonlinearities (arising from dislocation creep and plastic failure) while simultaneously resolving the megathrust and bending slabs globally. Using global plate motions as constraints, we overcome these challenges by combining a scalable nonlinear Stokes solver that resolves the key tectonic features with an adjoint-based Bayesian approach. Assuming plate cooling, variations in the thickness of continental lithosphere, slabs, and broad scale lower mantle structure as well as a constant grain size through the bulk of the upper mantle, a good fit to global plate motions is found with a nonlinear upper mantle stress exponent of 2.43 [Formula: see text] 0.25 (mean [Formula: see text] SD). A relatively low yield stress of 151 [Formula: see text] 19 MPa is required for slabs to bend during subduction and transmit a slab pull that generates asymmetrical subduction. The recovered long-term strength of megathrusts (plate interfaces) varies between different subduction zones, with South America having a larger strength and Vanuatu and Central America having lower values with important implications for the stresses driving megathrust earthquakes.

Late Holocene relative sea-level records from coral microatolls in Singapore

Late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) data are important to understand the drivers of RSL change, but there is a lack of precise RSL records from the Sunda Shelf. Here, we produced a Late Holocene RSL reconstruction from coral microatolls in Singapore, demonstrating for the first time the utility of Diploastrea heliopora microatolls as sea-level indicators. We produced 12 sea-level index points and three marine limiting data with a precision of < ± 0.2 m (2σ) and < ± 26 years uncertainties (95% highest density region). The data show a RSL fall of 0.31 ± 0.18 m between 2.8 and 0.6 thousand years before present (kyr BP), at rates between - 0.1 ± 0.3 and - 0.2 ± 0.7 mm/year. Surface profiles of the fossil coral microatolls suggest fluctuations in the rate of RSL fall: (1) stable between 2.8 and 2.5 kyr BP; (2) rising at ~ 1.8 kyr BP; and (3) stable from 0.8 to 0.6 kyr BP. The microatoll record shows general agreement with published, high-quality RSL data within the Sunda Shelf. Comparison to a suite of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models indicate preference for lower viscosities in the mantle. However, more high quality and precise Late Holocene RSL data are needed to further evaluate the drivers of RSL change in the region and better constrain GIA model parameters.

Influence of the asthenosphere on earth dynamics and evolution

The existence of a thin, weak asthenospheric layer beneath Earth's lithospheric plates is consistent with existing geological and geophysical constraints, including Pleistocene glacio-isostatic adjustment, modeling of gravity anomalies, studies of seismic anisotropy, and post-seismic rebound. Mantle convection models suggest that a pronounced weak zone beneath the upper thermal boundary layer (lithosphere) may be essential to the plate tectonic style of convection found on Earth. The asthenosphere is likely related to partial melting and the presence of water in the sub-lithospheric mantle, further implying that the long-term evolution of the Earth may be controlled by thermal regulation and volatile recycling that maintain a geotherm that approaches the wet mantle solidus at asthenospheric depths.

Caribbean plate tilted and actively dragged eastwards by low-viscosity asthenospheric flow

The importance of a low-viscosity asthenosphere underlying mobile plates has been highlighted since the earliest days of the plate tectonics revolution. However, absolute asthenospheric viscosities are still poorly constrained, with estimates spanning up to 3 orders of magnitude. Here we follow a new approach using analytic solutions for Poiseuille-Couette channel flow to compute asthenospheric viscosities under the Caribbean. We estimate Caribbean dynamic topography and the associated pressure gradient, which, combined with flow velocities estimated from geologic markers and tomographic structure, yield our best-estimate asthenospheric viscosity of (3.0 ± 1.5)*10¹⁸ Pa s. This value is consistent with independent estimates for non-cratonic and oceanic regions, and challenges the hypothesis that higher-viscosity asthenosphere inferred from postglacial rebound is globally-representative. The active flow driven by Galapagos plume overpressure shown here contradicts the traditional view that the asthenosphere is only a passive lubricating layer for Earth's tectonic plates.

Coupled afterslip and transient mantle flow after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake

Modeling of postseismic deformation following great earthquakes has revealed the viscous structure of the mantle and the frictional properties of the fault interface. However, for giant megathrust events, viscoelastic flow and afterslip mechanically interplay with each other during the postseismic period. We explore the role of afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation and their interaction in the aftermath of the 2011 M _w (moment magnitude) 9.0 Tohoku earthquake based on a detailed model analysis of the postseismic deformation with laterally varying, experimentally constrained, rock rheology. Mechanical coupling between viscoelastic relaxation and afterslip notably modifies both the afterslip distribution and surface deformation. Thus, we highlight the importance of addressing mechanical coupling for long-term studies of postseismic relaxation, especially in the context of the geodynamics of the Japan trench across the seismic cycle.

Fault stress inversion reveals seismogenic asperity of the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

We predict, with a model (earthquake stress model) that inverts the displacements documented at 163 GNSS onshore stations of the GEONET, the change of shear and normal stresses on the megathrust near the Japan Trench over the seven years before the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. We find three areas on the megathrust with greater accumulations of shear and normal stresses before the earthquake, which match the ruptured areas of the mainshock and two largest aftershocks (M_w 7.8 and 7.4) that occurred within half an hour after the mainshock. We also find that the change of normal stress on the fault before the earthquake is not uniform but increases in the up-dip portion (shallower depth) of the fault from the hypocenter and decreases in the down-dip portion. We infer that the occurrence of the giant earthquake at the shallow portion of the megathrust may be attributed to the increase of the normal stress there, which leads to an increase of fault shear strength and allows more elastic strain energy to accumulate to prepare for the next big earthquake. Based on these results we propose a new concept of the seismogenic asperity as the area of greater accumulations of shear and normal stresses. The method presented here may be useful for predicting the rupture zone of future large earthquakes.

Transient rheology of the Sumatran mantle wedge revealed by a decade of great earthquakes

Understanding the rheological properties of the upper mantle is essential to develop a consistent model of mantle dynamics and plate tectonics. However, the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of these properties remain unclear. Here, we infer the rheological properties of the asthenosphere across multiple great megathrust earthquakes between 2004 and 2014 along the Sumatran subduction zone, taking advantage of decade-long continuous GPS and tide-gauge measurements. We observe transient mantle wedge flow following these earthquakes, and infer the temporal evolution of the effective viscosity. We show that the evolution of stress and strain rate following these earthquakes is better matched by a bi-viscous than by a power-law rheology model, and we estimate laterally heterogeneous transient and background viscosities on the order of ~10¹⁷ and ~10¹⁹ Pa s, respectively. Our results constitute a preliminary rheological model to explain stress evolution within earthquake cycles and the development of seismic hazard in the region.

The rheology of the upper mantle is key to understanding how plate tectonics may evolve. Here, using GPS and tide-gauge measurements along the Sumatran subduction zone, the authors’ show that a bi-viscous rheology model is needed to explain the stress and strain evolution of the upper mantle following earthquakes.

Bridging the connection between effective viscosity and electrical conductivity through water content in the upper mantle

Upper mantle viscosity plays a key role in understanding plate tectonics and is usually extrapolated from laboratory-based creep measurements of upper mantle conditions or constrained by modeling geodetic and post-seismic observations. At present, an effective method to obtain a high-resolution viscosity structure is still lacking. Recently, a promising estimation of effective viscosity was obtained from a transform derived from the results of magnetotelluric imaging. Here, we build a relationship between effective viscosity and electrical conductivity in the upper mantle using water content. The contribution of water content to the effective viscosity is isolated in a flow law with reference to relatively dry conditions in the upper mantle. The proposed transform is robust and has been verified by application to data synthesized from an intraoceanic subduction zone model. We then apply the method to transform an electrical conductivity cross-section across the Yangtze block and the North China Craton. The results show that the effective viscosity structure coincides well with that estimated from other independent datasets at depths of 40 to 80 km but differs slightly at depths of 100 to 200 km. We briefly discussed the potentials and associated problems for application.