Shear velocity structure of crust and uppermost mantle in China from surface wave tomography using ambient noise and earthquake data

We present a 3D model of shear velocity of crust and upper mantle in China and surrounding regions from surface wave tomography. We combine dispersion measurements from ambient noise correlation and traditional earthquake data. The stations include the China National Seismic Network, global networks, and all the available PASSCAL stations in the region over the years. The combined data sets provide excellent data coverage of the region for surface wave measurements from 8 to 120 s, which are used to invert for 3D shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle down to about 150 kin. We also derive new models of the study region for crustal thickness and averaged S velocities for upper, mid, and lower crust and the uppermost mantle. The models provide a fundamental data set for understanding continental dynamics and evolution. The tomography results reveal significant features of crust and upper mantle structure, including major basins, Moho depth variation, mantle velocity contrast between eastern and western North China Craton, widespread low-velocity zone in mid- crust in much of the Tibetan Plateau, and clear velocity contrasts of the mantle lithosphere between north and southern Tibet with significant E-W variations. The low velocity structure in the upper mantle under north and eastern TP correlates with surface geological boundaries. A patch of high velocity anomaly is found under the eastern part of the TP, which may indicate intact mantle lithosphere. Mantle lithosphere change from the western to The Tanlu Fault appears boundary. shows striking systematic eastern North China Craton. to be a major lithosphere

Surface wave tomography on a large-scale seismic array combining ambient noise and teleseismic earthquake data

We discuss two array-based tomography methods, ambient noise tomography （ANT） and two-plane- wave earthquake tomography （TPWT）, which are capable of taking advantage of emerging large-scale broadband seismic arrays to generate high resolution phase velocity maps, but in complementary period band： ANT at 8-40 s and TPWT at 25-100 s period. Combining these two methods generates surface wave dispersion maps from 8 to 100 s periods, which can be used to construct a 3D vs model from the surface to -200 km depth. As an illustration, we apply the two methods to the USArray/Transportable Array. We process seismic noise data from over 1 500 stations obtained from 2005 through 2009 to produce Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps from 8 to 40 s period, and also perform TPWT using -450 teleseismic earthquakes to obtain phase velocity maps between 25 and 100 s period. Combining dispersion maps from ANT and TPWT, we construct a 3D vs model from the surface to a depth of 160 km in the western and central USA. These surface wave tomography methods can also be applied to other rapidly growing seismic networks such as those in China.

Frequency-Bessel multi-mode surface wave tomography utilizing microseisms excited by energetic typhoons

The recently developed Frequency-Bessel(F-J) transform array technique has significantly advanced multi-mode surface wave tomography, providing precise constraints on shear wave velocity(V_(S)) models of the crust and uppermost mantle.This technique has primarily focused on extracting inter-station surface waves from ambient noise cross-correlation. Energetic typhoons generate abundant surface wave signals, prompting growing interest in utilizing these signals to investigate subsurface structures. This study explores the feasibility and application of using microseisms excited by strong typhoons for F-J transform surface wave tomography. By analyzing microseisms recorded by a broadband seismic array in Mongolia during energetic typhoons, we observed multi-mode surface waves with high signal-to-noise ratios. Our analysis revealed that the sources of these waves closely correspond to typhoon tracks, confirming that they were primarily excited by typhoons. We successfully extracted multi-mode dispersion curves for imaging the V_(S) structure beneath the array using the F-J transform. Additionally, we derived multi-mode dispersion curves from a two-year noise dataset recorded by the same array, which were also used to invert for the V_(S) structure. Comparison of V_(S) models derived from typhoon-induced microseisms and the two-year noise dataset showed negligible differences within the depth range of 0–140 km. Our findings demonstrate the potential value of microseisms generated by energetic typhoons in precisely probing the V_(S)structure of the crust and uppermost mantle.

Rayleigh Wave Tomography of Ningxia and Its Adjacent Areas Based on Ambient Noise

In this article,the vertical components of the continuous waveform data of 90 seismic stations in Ningxia and its adjacent regions recorded from January 2012 to December 2013 are used to obtain the Rayleigh surface wave group velocity dispersion images in the study area( 101°- 112°E,31°-42°N) according to the method of noise imaging,with period between 6s - 50s and resolution of 0.5°. The Yinchuan basin in the 6s - 26 s period obviously shows a low velocity anomaly,which is not uniform and has a tendency to gradually weaken; the Guanzhong Basin in 6 s-22s shows a strip of low velocity anomaly and demonstrates a transverse inhomogeneity,where velocity in the southeast is slightly faster than that in the northwest. In the 30s - 50s period it shows that in the Yinchuan graben basin and its southern area,there is a large low velocity anomaly area,which moves from northeast to southwest. It shows that between the main active tectonic zones,like mountains and basins,there are obvious geomorphologic boundaries. For example,the deep fault near Liupan Mountain is the dividing line between two large tectonic units of eastern and western of China. The inversion results have good correlation with the geological structure and the stratigraphic landform. The results are consistent with the results of artificial seismic section tomography across the basin. It provides an important basis for the dynamics of active tectonic zones and the mechanism of earthquake occurrence in this area.

Crustal velocity structures beneath North China revealed by ambient noise tomography

We collected continuous noise waveform data from January 2007 to February 2008 recorded by 190 broadband and 10 very broadband stations of the North China Seismic Array. The study region is divided into grid with interval 0.25°×0.25°, and group velocity distribution maps between 4 s and 30 s are obtained using ambient noise tomography method. The lateral resolution is estimated to be 20-50 km for most of the study area. We construct a 3-D S wave velocity model by inverting the pure path dispersion curve at each grid using a genetic algorithm with smoothing constraint. The crustal structure observed in the model includes sedimentary basins such as North China basin, Yanqing-Huailai basin and Datong basin. A well-defined low velocity zone is observed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region in 22-30 km depth range, which may be related to the upwelling of hot mantle material. The high velocity zone near Datong, Shuozhou and Qingshuihe within the depth range of 1-23 km reveals stable characteristics of Ordos block. The Taihangshan front fault extends to 12 km depth at least.

Ambient Noise Tomography, Green’s Function and Earthquakes

Green’s function is well-known, among others, in the application of ambient noise tomography methodologies that may demonstrate the potential of hydrocarbon entrapment in the study area. Here it is also shown to be of key importance in identifying the fractal dimension in the unified scaling law for earthquakes as well as in studying an explicit relationship of a future strong earthquake epicenter to the average earthquake potential score. Such studies are now in progress.

Three-dimensional S-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle for the normal fault system beneath the Yinchuan Basin from joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave

A series of parallel normal faults are distributed in the Helan Mountain-Yinchuan Basin tectonic belt,where a historical M8.0 earthquake occurred.It is rare that such a great earthquake occurs in a normal fault system within the continent.To deeply understand the fine structure of the normal fault system,we deployed 104 broadband temporary stations near the system,collected data from permanent stations and other temporary stations nearby,and obtained the high-precision threedimensional S-wave velocity structure beneath 206 stations via joint inversion of receiver function and surface wave.A typical graben-in-graben feature bounded by four major faults was identified in the Yinchuan Basin.We analyzed the seismicity in the normal fault system and found a seismic strip in the southern part of the basin,where there are significant changes in the sedimentary thickness,which is speculated to be the southern boundary of the normal fault system.There are significant differences in the crustal thickness and velocity structure in the crust on both sides of the boundary between the Helan Mountain and the Yinchuan Basin,and a low-velocity zone was identified in the upper mantle beneath this boundary,which could be related to the fact that the Helan Mountain-Yinchuan Basin tectonic belt is located between the Alxa Block and the Ordos Block.The M8.0 Yinchuan-Pingluo earthquake occurred at the junction of four major faults in the Yinchuan Basin,which was located in the high-velocity zone near the velocity transition zone at the basin-mountain boundary.The low-velocity zone in the upper mantle beneath this boundary may have promoted the nucleation of this earthquake.Based on evidence from geological drilling,micro seismicity,the regional stress field,and the velocity models obtained in this study,it is inferred that the eastern piedmont fault zone of the Helan Mountain was the seismogenic fault of the 1739 M8.0 Yinchuan-Pingluo earthquake.

3D Velocity Structure and Its Tectonic Implications in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea

3D structure of the crust and upper mantle in the studied area has been analyzed from surface wave tomography. The velocity distribution in the uppermost crust is symmetrical on two sides of the central line of the sea, and coincides with the structure of crystalline basement. The essential difference in tectonics between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea mainly lies in that the velocity structures of their lower crust and upper mantle are identical to those of South China and North China respectively. In the upper mantle there exists a high-velocity zone with a nearly EW strike from the Hangzhou Bay, China, to the Tokara Channel, Japan, along about the latitude of 30°N. It is found that between the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea there are systematical differences in geomorphology, geology, seismicity, heat flow, quality factor and gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies, which is related to both left-lateral shear dislocation and right-lateral tear of the Benioff zone from the Hangzhou Bay to the Tokara Channel.It is inferred that the East China Sea was formed by Cenozoic back-arc extension. The boundary between the North China and South China crustal blocks stretches along the southern piedmont of Mts. Daba-Dabie-Hangzhou Bay-Tokara Channel, and the subduction zone at the Okinawa trench is the eastern boundary of the South China crustal block. The movements of the Pacific plate, Indian plate and upper mantle rather than the Philippine plate subduction have played a dominant role for the modern tectonic movements in East Asia.

Shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle in Southeastern Tibet and its geodynamic implications

Southeastern Tibet,which has complex topography and strong tectonic activity,is an important area for studying the subsurface deformation of the Tibetan Plateau.Through the two-station method on 10-year teleseismic Rayleigh wave data from 132 permanent stations in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau,which incorporates ambient noise data,we obtain the interstation phase velocity dispersion data in the period range of 5–150s.Then,we invert for the shear wave velocity of the crust and upper mantle through the direct 3-D inversion method.We find two low-velocity belts in the mid-lower crust.One belt is mainly in the SongPan-GangZi block and northwestern part of the Chuan-Dian diamond block,whereas the other belt is mainly in the Xiaojiang fault zone and its eastern part,the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.The low-velocity belt in the Xiaojiang fault zone is likely caused by plastic deformation or partial melting of felsic rocks due to crustal thickening.Moreover,the significant positive radial anisotropy(VSH>VSV)around the Xiaojiang fault zone further enhances the amplitude of low velocity anomaly in our VSVmodel.This crustal low-velocity zone also extends southward across the Red River fault and farther to northern Vietnam,which may be closely related to heat sources in the upper mantle.The two low-velocity belts are separated by a high-velocity zone near the Anninghe-Zemuhe fault system,which is exactly in the inner and intermediate zones of the Emeishan large igneous province(ELIP).We find an obvious high-velocity body situated in the crust of the inner zone of the ELIP,which may represent maficultramafic material that remained in the crust when the ELIP formed.In the upper mantle,there is a large-scale low-velocity anomaly in the Indochina and South China blocks south of the Red River fault.The low-velocity anomaly gradually extends northward along the Xiaojiang fault zone into the Yangtze Craton as depth increases.Through our velocity model,we think that southeastern Tibet is undergoing three different tectonic modes at the same time:(1)the upper crust is rigid,and as a result,the tectonic mode is mainly rigid block extrusion controlled by large strike-slip faults;(2)the viscoplastic materials in the middlelower crust,separated by rigid materials related to the ELIP,migrate plastically southward under the control of the regional stress field and fault systems;and(3)the upper mantle south of the Red River fault is mainly controlled by large-scale asthenospheric upwelling and may be closely related to lithospheric delamination and the eastward subduction and retreat of the Indian plate beneath Burma.