High-Resolution Imaging of the Mantle Transition Zone beneath Japan from Sparse Receiver Functions

• Author / Creator

  Escalante, Christian

• A new approach to estimate high-resolution receiver functions using a simultaneous iterative time-domain sparse deconvolution is presented. To test its functionality and reliability, several experiments were conducted with synthetic and real seismological data. Furthermore, this technique was employed to obtain a high-resolution image of the mantle transition zone discontinuities beneath Japan. The results show a locally elevated 410-km discontinuity with a topographic relief of up to 10 km; conversely, the 660-km discontinuity shows a large depression of up to ~30 km in regions coincident with the subducting Pacific plate. These results are consistent with previous receiver function and tomographic studies showing a flat lying slab in this region. It is still debatable whether parts of the deflected slab is sinking into the lower mantle or not; since this is not clearly observed from the results. But it appears that the 660-km discontinuity deflection extends further to the west into the Korean Peninsula.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Sparse Deconvolution
  • Japan Subduction Zone
  • Mantle Transition Zone
  • Receiver Functions
  • Mantle Discontinuities

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3CW6H

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.