Sub-slab anisotropy beneath the Sumatra and circum-Pacific subduction zones from source-side shear wave splitting observations

Abstract

Understanding the dynamics of subduction is critical to our overall understanding of plate tectonics and the solid Earth system. Observations of seismic anisotropy can yield constraints on deformation patterns in the mantle surrounding subducting slabs, providing a tool for studying subduction dynamics. While many observations of seismic anisotropy have been made in subduction systems, our understanding of the mantle beneath subducting slabs remains tenuous due to the difficulty of constraining anisotropy in the sub-slab region. Recently, the source-side shear wave splitting technique has been refined and applied to several subduction systems worldwide, making accurate and direct measurements of sub-slab anisotropy feasible and offering unprecedented spatial and depth coverage in the sub-slab mantle. Here we present source-side shear wave splitting measurements for the Central America, Alaska-Aleutians, Sumatra, Ryukyu, and Izu-Bonin-Japan-Kurile subduction systems. We find that measured fast splitting directions in these regions generally fall into two broad categories, aligning either with the strike of the trench or with the motion of the subducting slab relative to the overriding plate. Trench parallel fast splitting directions dominate beneath the Izu-Bonin, Japan, and southern Kurile slabs and part of the Sumatra system, while fast directions that parallel the motion of the downgoing plate dominate in the Ryukyu, Central America, northern Kurile, western Sumatra, and Alaska-Aleutian regions. We find that plate motion parallel fast splitting directions in the sub-slab mantle are more common than previously thought. We observe a correlation between fast direction and age of the subducting lithosphere; older lithosphere (>95 Ma) is associated with trench parallel splitting while younger lithosphere (<95 Ma) is associated with plate motion parallel fast splitting directions. Finally, we observe source-side splitting for deep earthquakes (transition zone depths) beneath Japan and Sumatra, suggesting the presence of anisotropy at midmantle depths beneath these regions. Key Points We observe both trench parallel and plate motion parallel fast directions Fast splitting directions correlate well with the age of subducting lithosphere © 2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.