TY - JOUR A1 - Nooshiri, Nima A1 - Saul, Joachim A1 - Heimann, Sebastian A1 - Tilmann, Frederik A1 - Dahm, Torsten T1 - Revision of earthquake hypocentre locations in global bulletin data sets using source-specific station terms JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - Global earthquake locations are often associated with very large systematic travel-time residuals even for clear arrivals, especially for regional and near-regional stations in subduction zones because of their strongly heterogeneous velocity structure. Travel-time corrections can drastically reduce travel-time residuals at regional stations and, in consequence, improve the relative location accuracy. We have extended the shrinking-box source-specific station terms technique to regional and teleseismic distances and adopted the algorithm for probabilistic, nonlinear, global-search location. We evaluated the potential of the method to compute precise relative hypocentre locations on a global scale. The method has been applied to two specific test regions using existing P- and pP-phase picks. The first data set consists of 3103 events along the Chilean margin and the second one comprises 1680 earthquakes in the Tonga-Fiji subduction zone. Pick data were obtained from the GEOFON earthquake bulletin, produced using data from all available, global station networks. A set of timing corrections varying as a function of source position was calculated for each seismic station. In this way, we could correct the systematic errors introduced into the locations by the inaccuracies in the assumed velocity structure without explicitly solving for a velocity model. Residual statistics show that the median absolute deviation of the travel-time residuals is reduced by 40-60 per cent at regional distances, where the velocity anomalies are strong. Moreover, the spread of the travel-time residuals decreased by similar to 20 per cent at teleseismic distances (>28 degrees). Furthermore, strong variations in initial residuals as a function of recording distance are smoothed out in the final residuals. The relocated catalogues exhibit less scattered locations in depth and sharper images of the seismicity associated with the subducting slabs. Comparison with a high-resolution local catalogue reveals that our relocation process significantly improves the hypocentre locations compared to standard locations. KW - Seismicity and tectonics KW - Computational seismology KW - Subduction zone processes KW - Pacific Ocean KW - South America Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw405 SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 208 IS - 2 SP - 589 EP - 602 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feld, Christian A1 - Mechie, James A1 - Hübscher, Christian A1 - Hall, Jeremy A1 - Nicolaides, Stelios A1 - Gurbuz, Cemil A1 - Bauer, Klaus A1 - Louden, Keith A1 - Weber, Michael T1 - Crustal structure of the eratosthenes seamount, cyprus and S. Turkey from an amphibian wide-angle seismic profile JF - Tectonophysics : international journal of geotectonics and the geology and physics of the interior of the earth N2 - In 2010, project CoCoCo (incipient COntinent-COntinent COllision) recorded a 650 km long amphibian N-S wide-angle seismic profile, extending from the Anatolian plateau across southern Turkey and Cyprus to just south of the Eratosthenes Seamount (ESM). The aim of the project is to reveal the impact of the transition from subduction to continent-continent collision of Africa with Anatolia. Arrival picking, finite-differences ray-tracing and inversion of the offshore and on-offshore data produced a tomographic model across southern Cyprus, the accretionary wedge and the ESM. The main features of this model are (1) crustal P-velocities predominantly lower than 6.5 km/s beneath the ESM, (2) crustal thickness between 28 and 37 km, (3) an upper crustal reflection at 5 km depth beneath the ESM, (4) the likely presence of oceanic crust south of the ESM and a transform margin north of it and (5) a 12 km thick ophiolite sequence on Cyprus. Land shots on Turkey, also recorded on Cyprus, gravity data and geological and previous seismic investigations allow to derive a layered velocity model beneath Anatolia and the northern part of Cyprus. The main features of this model are (1) Moho depths of 38–45 km beneath the Anatolian plateau, (2) an upper and lower crust with large lateral changes in velocity and thickness, (3) a north-dipping subducting plate below Cyprus with a steepening of the dip-angle of the plate at about 45 km depth. Thus, the wide-angle seismic and gravity data provide detailed insights into the 2-D geometry and velocity structures associated with the Cyprus Arc collision zone. Finally, integrated analysis of the geophysics and geology allows a comprehensive interpretation of the crustal structure related to the collision process. KW - Controlled source seismology KW - Subduction zone processes KW - Continental margins: convergent KW - Crustal structure KW - Europe KW - Gravity anomalies and Earth structure Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2017.02.003 SN - 0040-1951 SN - 1879-3266 VL - 700 SP - 32 EP - 59 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Baes, Marzieh A1 - Sobolev, Stephan Vladimir A1 - Quinteros, Javier T1 - Subduction initiation in mid-ocean induced by mantle suction flow JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - Pre-existing weakness zones in the lithosphere such as transform faults/fracture zones and extinct mid-oceanic ridges have been suggested to facilitate subduction initiation in an intra-oceanic environment. Here, we propose that the additional forcing coming from the mantle suction flow is required to trigger the conversion of a fracture zone/transform fault into a converging plate boundary. This suction flow can be induced either from the slab remnants of former converging plate boundaries or/and from slabs of neighbouring active subduction zones. Using 2-D coupled thermo-mechanical models, we show that a sufficiently strong mantle flow is able to convert a fracture zone/transform fault into a subduction zone. However, this process is feasible only if the fracture zone/transform fault is very close to the mid-oceanic ridge. Our numerical model results indicate that time of subduction initiation depends on the velocity, domain size and location of mantle suction flow and age of the oceanic plate. KW - Numerical modelling KW - Subduction zone processes KW - oceanic transform and fracture zone processes Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggy335 SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 215 IS - 3 SP - 1515 EP - 1522 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Michael H. A1 - Wicks, Charles A1 - Le Stunff, Yves A1 - Romanowicz, Barbara A1 - Krüger, Frank T1 - Seismic evidence for a steeply dipping reflector-stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - Studies of seismic tomography have been highly successful at imaging the deep structure of subduction zones. In a study complementary to these tomographic studies, we use array seismology and reflected waves to image a stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone. Using P and S (SH) waves we find a steeply dipping reflector centred at ca. 400 km depth and ca. 550 km west of the present Mariana subduction zone (at 20N, 140E). The discovery of this anomaly in tomography and independently in array seismology (this paper) helps in understanding the evolution of the Mariana margin. The reflector/stagnant slab may be the remains of the hypothetical North New Guinea Plate, which was theorized to have subducted ca. 50 Ma. KW - Mantle processes KW - Composition of the mantle KW - Seismic tomography KW - Wave scattering and diffraction KW - Subduction zone processes KW - Volcanic arc processes KW - Continental margins: convergent KW - Pacific Ocean Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu438 SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 200 IS - 2 SP - 1235 EP - 1251 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Palo, Mauro A1 - Tilmann, Frederik A1 - Krüger, Frank A1 - Ehlert, Lutz A1 - Lange, Dietrich T1 - High-frequency seismic radiation from Maule earthquake (M-w 8.8, 2010 February 27) inferred from high-resolution backprojection analysis JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - We track a bilateral rupture propagation lasting similar to 160 s, with its dominant branch rupturing northeastwards at about 3 kms(-1). The area of maximum energy emission is offset from the maximum coseismic slip but matches the zone where most plate interface aftershocks occur. Along dip, energy is preferentially released from two disconnected interface belts, and a distinct jump from the shallower belt to the deeper one is visible after about 20 s from the onset. However, both belts keep on being active until the end of the rupture. These belts approximately match the position of the interface aftershocks, which are split into two clusters of events at different depths, thus suggesting the existence of a repeated transition from stick-slip to creeping frictional regime. KW - Earthquake source observations KW - Wave propagation KW - Subduction zone processes Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu311 SN - 0956-540X SN - 1365-246X VL - 199 IS - 2 SP - 1058 EP - 1077 PB - Oxford Univ. Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pesicek, J. D. A1 - Engdahl, E. R. A1 - Thurber, C. H. A1 - DeShon, H. R. A1 - Lange, Dietrich T1 - Mantle subducting slab structure in the region of the 2010 M8.8 Maule earthquake (30-40 degrees S), Chile JF - Geophysical journal international N2 - We present a new tomographic model of the mantle in the area of the 2010 M8.8 Maule earthquake and surrounding regions. Increased ray coverage provided by the aftershock data allows us to image the detailed subducting slab structure in the mantle, from the region of flat slab subduction north of the Maule rupture to the area of overlapping rupture between the 1960 M9.5 and the 2010 M8.8 events to the south. We have combined teleseismic primary and depth phase arrivals with available local arrivals to better constrain the teleseismic earthquake locations in the region, which we use to conduct nested regionalglobal tomography. The new model reveals the detailed structure of the flat slab and its transition to a more moderately dipping slab in the Maule region. South of the Maule region, a steeply dipping relic slab is imaged from similar to 200 to 1000 km depth that is distinct from the moderately dipping slab above it and from the more northerly slab at similar depths. We interpret the images as revealing both horizontal and vertical tearing of the slab at similar to 38 degrees S to explain the imaged pattern of slab anomalies in the southern portion of the model. In contrast, the transition from a horizontal to moderately subducting slab in the northern portion of the model is imaged as a continuous slab bend. We speculate that the tearing was most likely facilitated by a fracture zone in the downgoing plate or alternatively by a continental scale terrane boundary in the overriding plate. KW - Seismicity and tectonics KW - Seismic tomography KW - Subduction zone processes Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2012.05624.x SN - 0956-540X VL - 191 IS - 1 SP - 317 EP - 324 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Hoboken ER -