TY - JOUR

T1 - Three-dimensional seismic anisotropy in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Taiwan area revealed by passive source tomography

AU - Koulakov, Ivan

AU - Jakovlev, Andrey

AU - Wu, Yih Min

AU - Dobretsov, Nikolay L.

AU - El Khrepy, Sami

AU - Al-Arifi, Nassir

PY - 2015/11

Y1 - 2015/11

N2 - We present a 3-D anisotropic seismic model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Taiwan region based on the tomographic inversion of traveltime data from regional earthquakes. In the crust beneath eastern Taiwan, we observe coast-parallel anisotropy that perfectly delineates the major geological structures. In westernmost Taiwan, we distinguish a crustal block corresponding to the Peikang High at the margin of the Eurasian Plate, where coast-perpendicular anisotropy within a high-velocity anomaly is observed. In the uppermost mantle, the direction of anisotropy beneath central Taiwan turns perpendicular to the coast, which may indicate eastward underthrusting of the Peikang Block that was induced by collisional processes. To the NE of Taiwan, the anisotropy forms circular patterns coinciding with the shape of the Ryukyu arc, which may reflect the distribution of the deformations and fractures in the accretion and arc complex.

AB - We present a 3-D anisotropic seismic model of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Taiwan region based on the tomographic inversion of traveltime data from regional earthquakes. In the crust beneath eastern Taiwan, we observe coast-parallel anisotropy that perfectly delineates the major geological structures. In westernmost Taiwan, we distinguish a crustal block corresponding to the Peikang High at the margin of the Eurasian Plate, where coast-perpendicular anisotropy within a high-velocity anomaly is observed. In the uppermost mantle, the direction of anisotropy beneath central Taiwan turns perpendicular to the coast, which may indicate eastward underthrusting of the Peikang Block that was induced by collisional processes. To the NE of Taiwan, the anisotropy forms circular patterns coinciding with the shape of the Ryukyu arc, which may reflect the distribution of the deformations and fractures in the accretion and arc complex.

KW - anisotropy

KW - collision

KW - seismic tomography

KW - Taiwan

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84954411669&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/2015JB012408

DO - 10.1002/2015JB012408

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84954411669

VL - 120

SP - 7814

EP - 7829

JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

SN - 2169-9313

IS - 11

ER -