High-velocity lid of East Antarctica: Evidence of a depleted continental lithosphere

摘要

In broadband seismograms from shallow earthquakes occurring south of New Zealand recorded at the South Pole, we found significant arrivals 40–70 s after the first SH arrivals at distances of 29°–35° and 20–50 s after the first P arrivals at distances of 28°–35°. These waves traversing beneath East Antarctica can be modeled by slightly modifying one-dimensional P and S wave velocity structures of the Canadian shield. In the obtained velocity models, a velocity reduction below the lithosphere forms a deep low-velocity zone. S waves turning below the low-velocity zone explain the SH waveforms observed at 29°–55°. The observed P waveforms, however, suggest that a corresponding reduction in P velocity is smaller. These P and S wave velocity variations are likely to be a manifestation of a depleted continental lithosphere (high concentrations of olivine and magnesium number (Mg # = 100Mg/(Mg + Fe)). For a lithospheric composition more depleted than that of the underlying mantle, the temperature profile estimated from our velocity models is smooth from the lithosphere to the underlying mantle. Lithospheric depletion can also explain that the velocity anomaly in the lithosphere is larger for S than for P waves. Were the composition to be assumed uniform throughout the upper mantle, a large temperature gradient would be required at the bottom of the lithosphere, implying a heat sink which is unlikely to be sustainable. Thus a difference in composition between the lithosphere and underlying mantle leads to a reasonable estimate of temperature profile that is consistent with the observed seismic waveforms.