Search engine for discovering works of Art, research articles, and books related to Art and Culture
ShareThis
Javascript must be enabled to continue!

Mantle discontinuities beneath Arctic ocean and Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone

View through CrossRef
We investigate the properties of mantle discontinuities beneath the Arctic ocean and the Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone with underside reflections of PP and SS waves. The depth distributions of the 410-km and 520-km discontinuities suggest a relatively normal mantle transition zone beneath the Arctic ocean and a cold mantle transition zone with the subducted Pacific plate beneath Aleutian-Alaska subduction. The depth of the 660 km discontinuity shows normal behavior beneath the Arctic Ocean. However, the detection of deep reflectors with opposite polarities in depth range of 720~770 km beneath the eastern Aleutians introduces additional complexity for explaining the slab morphology.  We test several plausible compositions using mineralogical modeling along a subduction geotherm. The deep reflectors are interpreted as mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) crust associated with the Pacific slab that may deform or buckle at the bottom of the mantle transition zone beneath the eastern Aleutians.  Meanwhile, an uplifted 660-km discontinuity observed in the adjacent Alaska region suggests a different subduction depth, where the slab may penetrate the 410-km discontinuity but does not reach the 660-km discontinuity,  consistent with previous regional studies. Our observations thus depict a complex slab geometry along the Aleutian-Alaska trench, that is, the slab  may reach the top of the lower mantle beneath eastern Aleutian but remains at the base of the transition zone underneath central Alaska.
Title: Mantle discontinuities beneath Arctic ocean and Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone
Description:
We investigate the properties of mantle discontinuities beneath the Arctic ocean and the Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone with underside reflections of PP and SS waves.
The depth distributions of the 410-km and 520-km discontinuities suggest a relatively normal mantle transition zone beneath the Arctic ocean and a cold mantle transition zone with the subducted Pacific plate beneath Aleutian-Alaska subduction.
The depth of the 660 km discontinuity shows normal behavior beneath the Arctic Ocean.
However, the detection of deep reflectors with opposite polarities in depth range of 720~770 km beneath the eastern Aleutians introduces additional complexity for explaining the slab morphology.
  We test several plausible compositions using mineralogical modeling along a subduction geotherm.
The deep reflectors are interpreted as mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) crust associated with the Pacific slab that may deform or buckle at the bottom of the mantle transition zone beneath the eastern Aleutians.
  Meanwhile, an uplifted 660-km discontinuity observed in the adjacent Alaska region suggests a different subduction depth, where the slab may penetrate the 410-km discontinuity but does not reach the 660-km discontinuity,  consistent with previous regional studies.
Our observations thus depict a complex slab geometry along the Aleutian-Alaska trench, that is, the slab  may reach the top of the lower mantle beneath eastern Aleutian but remains at the base of the transition zone underneath central Alaska.

Related Results

한국의 북극 거버넌스 구축 및 참여 전략 (Changes in the Arctic and Establishment of New Arctic Governance)
한국의 북극 거버넌스 구축 및 참여 전략 (Changes in the Arctic and Establishment of New Arctic Governance)
<b>Korean Abstract:</b> 21세기 들어 북극 지역의 변화가 가시화되면서 북극이 새롭게 조명을 받고 있다. ‘북극의 변화’는 상호 밀접한 관계를 지닌 세 가지 변화가 중심을 이루고 있다. 첫 번째는 기후변화로 인해 북극의 해빙 속도가 보다 빨라지고 그 범위가 점차 확대되면서, 국제사회...
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
<p><b>In this thesis, controlled-source seismic data acquired during two regional-scale experiments are analysed to determine the offshore lithospheric structure at the...
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
<p><b>In this thesis, controlled-source seismic data acquired during two regional-scale experiments are analysed to determine the offshore lithospheric structure at the...
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
Lithospheric Structure of the Hikurangi Subduction Margin
<p><b>In this thesis, controlled-source seismic data acquired during two regional-scale experiments are analysed to determine the offshore lithospheric structure at the...
Geodynamic modelling of continental subduction beneath oceanic lithosphere
Geodynamic modelling of continental subduction beneath oceanic lithosphere
Subduction of an oceanic plate beneath either an oceanic, or a continental, overriding plate requires two main conditions to occur in a steady state: i) a high enough subduction ra...
A study of the mantle flow field and lithospheric deformation beneath the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone using seismic anisotropy
A study of the mantle flow field and lithospheric deformation beneath the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone using seismic anisotropy
We investigate the flow field and deformation in the mantle wedge and subslab mantle beneath the Kuril-Kamchatka subduction zone using seismological data from a recently deployed s...
Feedbacks between a non-Newtonian upper mantle, mantle viscosity structure and mantle dynamics
Feedbacks between a non-Newtonian upper mantle, mantle viscosity structure and mantle dynamics
SUMMARY Previous studies have shown that a low viscosity upper mantle can impact the wavelength of mantle flow and the balance of plate driving to resisting force...
Tomotectonic constraints on the assembly of the western Arctic region and central Alaska: progress, problems and future direction
Tomotectonic constraints on the assembly of the western Arctic region and central Alaska: progress, problems and future direction
&lt;p&gt;Alaska is made up of a mosaic of terranes that have enigmatic origins. Several plate restorations for the assembly of Alaska have been proposed, but their validity...

Back to Top