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Two‐station measurements of Rayleigh wave group velocity along the Hawai'ian Swell
Author(s) -
Woods Mark T.,
Lévêque JeanJacques,
Okal Emile A.,
Cara Michel
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.1029/90gl02718
Subject(s) - lithosphere , swell , geology , seismology , rayleigh wave , hotspot (geology) , geodesy , wave propagation , oceanography , tectonics , physics , optics
Two‐station measurements of Rayleigh wave group velocity between Midway Atoll and O'ahu provide a useful constraint on lithospheric thickness along the Hawai'ian Swell. Comparison of the observed dispersion curve with age‐dependent, regionalized dispersion curves suggests that the swell acts as 50–110 m.y. old lithosphere, and not as 20–50 m.y. old lithosphere as is predicted by the currently favored hypothesis for the swell's formation. A preliminary isotropic shear velocity model for the swell suggests that the lithosphere may be as thick as 100 km. This value is difficult to reconcile with the lithosphere being substantially thinned during its passage over the Hawai'ian hotspot.