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Depth‐variant azimuthal anisotropy in Tibet revealed by surface wave tomography
Author(s) -
Pandey Shantanu,
Yuan Xiaohui,
Debayle Eric,
Tilmann Frederik,
Priestley Keith,
Li Xueqing
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2015gl063921
Subject(s) - geology , lithosphere , anisotropy , seismology , asthenosphere , subduction , azimuth , seismic anisotropy , rayleigh wave , surface wave , shear (geology) , geophysics , mantle (geology) , tectonics , geometry , paleontology , optics , physics , mathematics
Azimuthal anisotropy derived from multimode Rayleigh wave tomography in China exhibits depth‐dependent variations in Tibet, which can be explained as induced by the Cenozoic India‐Eurasian collision. In west Tibet, the E‐W fast polarization direction at depths <100 km is consistent with the accumulated shear strain in the Tibetan lithosphere, whereas the N‐S fast direction at greater depths is aligned with Indian Plate motion. In northeast Tibet, depth‐consistent NW‐SE directions imply coupled deformation throughout the whole lithosphere, possibly also involving the underlying asthenosphere. Significant anisotropy at depths of 225 km in southeast Tibet reflects sublithospheric deformation induced by northward and eastward lithospheric subduction beneath the Himalaya and Burma, respectively. The multilayer anisotropic surface wave model can explain some features of SKS splitting measurements in Tibet, with differences probably attributable to the limited back azimuthal coverage of most SKS studies in Tibet and the limited horizontal resolution of the surface wave results.