Study of the lithospheric and upper-mantle discontinuities beneath eastern Asia by SS precursors

Abstract

We analyse broad-band SS waveform data recorded by several networks in Europe with sources mainly in the west Pacific to study the underside reflections of teleseismic SS waves in the lithosphere and the upper mantle beneath eastern Asia and the NW Pacific ocean. SS bounce points sample a corridor from the Aleutian, Kamchatka and Japan subduction zones through the North China Craton and Central Asian Orogenic Belt to the Tibetan plateau. The corridor passes through different tectonic units such as subduction zones, an old continental shield, a fold belt and a high plateau. We investigate the seismic structure of the lithosphere and the mantle transition zone beneath the different geotectonic units along the profile and infer the correlation of geodynamic processes at different depths. We explore the short period frequency content in the SS waveform data and use moveout correction and common midpoint stack to acquire profiles with high lateral and depth resolution from the crust to the mantle transition zone. Clear SS precursors of the 410 and 660 km discontinuities show the effects of the interaction between the subducted oceanic lithosphere and the mantle transition zone beneath the NW Pacific subduction zones. A low-velocity layer has also been detected beneath the 410 km discontinuity and can be traced along the entire profile. Due to the improved resolution acquired by the method presented here we have been able to study the shallower structures such as the Moho and the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary by SS precursors. The continental Moho can be clearly seen along this corridor. The depth variation agrees well with earlier receiver function results. We also see negative reflectors along the profile at varying depths, which can be interpreted as the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.