Rayleigh Wave Tomography in the western US Great Basin

SUMMARY

Tectonic setting
Tectonic setting

I have been performing surface wave tomography of the Great Basin, Nevada, to constrain upper mantle isotropic and anisotropic structure. This work started during my postdoc at the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, in Matt Fouch‘s group.

I performed Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion measurements using an inter-station method, in collaboration with Arthur Snoke at Virginia Tech. The measurements were then inverted to obtain azimuthally anisotropic phase velocity maps. The results are published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters (see Publications).

Citation:

lnk Beghein, C., Snoke, J.A., and Fouch, M.J., Depth Constraints on Azimuthal Anisotropy in the Great Basin from Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity Maps, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 289, 467-478, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2009.11.036, 2010

Follow-up work was then performed at UCLA. I used a forward modeling approach to invert the isotropic and anisotropic parts of the phase velocity maps to obtain three-dimensional models of shear-wave velocity and anisotropy in the region. The method employed enabled us to determined reliable model uncertainties as well. Paper under revision

Rayleigh wave phase maps for the Great Basin
Rayleigh wave phase maps for the Great Basin

This work was presented at the following meetings and conferences:

  1. 1. Beghein, C., Models of Seismic Velocity and Anisotropy For the Great Basin, Nevada, Eos Trans. AGU, Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract, 2010

  2. 2. Beghein, C., Snoke, J.A., and Fouch, M.J., Azimuthal Anisotropy Signature in the Great Basin Lithosphere from Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity Maps, Eos Trans. AGU, 90(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract, 2009.

  3. 3. Beghein, C., Snoke, J.A., and Fouch, M.J., Past and Present Deformation in the Great Basin revealed by Azimuthally Anisotropic Phase Velocity Maps, Earthscope meeting, Abstract, 2009

  4. 4. Beghein, C., Snoke, J.A., Fouch, M.J., and West, J.D., Azimuthal Anisotropy From Surface Waves in the Great Basin, Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract, 2008

  5. 5.Beghein, C., Snoke, J.A., and Fouch, M.J., Inferences on Upper mantle Seismic Velocity and Anisotropy in Western North America From Surface Waves Analyses, Eos Trans. AGU, 88(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract, 2007.

  6. 6. Beghein, C., Fouch, M.J., and Snoke, J.A., Upper mantle seismic velocity structure in the Great Basin, Earthscope meeting, Abstract, 2007.

  7. 7. Beghein, C., Fouch, M.J., Snoke, J.A., and Warren, L.M., Improved constraints and resolution assessment of upper mantle seismic velocity structure in the western United States, Eos Trans. AGU, 87(52), Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract, 2006.