Constraint on the S-wave velocity at the base of the mantle

Eléonore Stutzmann (1) , Lev Vinnik , Ana Ferreira (1) , Satish Singh (1)

1 IPGP - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris

Some recent seismic studies have suggested the presence of a thin ultra-low P-wave velocity layer (ULVZ) at the base of the mantle, which is interpreted to be due to presence of partial melting. Partial melting would lead to a strong decrease of the S-wave velocity for which there is no seismic evidence. Such a decrease in the S-wave velocity would produce a strong precursor to SKS phase from the conversion of S to P at the upper boundary of the layer. We analyze records of events from the subduction zones in the south-west Pacific region obtained at stations in North America. At the source side, the converted phases propagate in the region, where the ultra-low P-wave velocity has been found earlier. Our analysis demonstrates that either the S-wave velocity drop in this layer is much smaller than predicted by the hypothesis of melting, or the layer is so thin (less than about 10-15 km) that it can not be detected with our technique.

Keywords: Seismology: Body wave propagation; Seismology: Core and mantle; Tectonophysics: Earth's interior-composition and state; Information Related to Geographic Region: Pacific Ocean

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]

Eléonore Stutzmann, Lev Vinnik, Ana Ferreira, Satish Singh. Constraint on the S-wave velocity at the base of the mantle. Geophysical Research Letters, 2000, 27, pp.1571-1574. ⟨10.1029/1999GL010984⟩. ⟨insu-03596941⟩