Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Geophysics
Supervisor
Dr. David Eaton
Second Advisor
Dr. Gail Atkinson
Abstract
Teleseismic tomography is an important imaging tool in earthquake seismology, used to characterize lithospheric structure beneath a region of interest. In this study I investigate three different tomographie techniques applied to real and synthetic teleseismic data, with the aim of imaging the velocity structure of the upper mantle. First, by applying well established traveltime tomographie techniques to teleseismic data from southern Ontario, I obtained high-resolution images of the upper mantle beneath the lower Great Lakes. Two salient features of the 3D models are: 1) a patchy, NNW-trending low-velocity region, and 2) a linear, NE-Striking high-velocity anomaly. I interpret the high-velocity anomaly as a possible relict slab associated with ca. 1.25 Ga subduction, whereas the low- velocity anomaly is interpreted as a zone of alteration and metasomatism associated with the ascent of magmas that produced the Late Cretaceous Monteregian plutons. The next part of the thesis is concerned with adaptation of existing fullwaveform tomographie techniques for application to teleseismic body-wave observations. The method used here is intended to be complementary to traveltime tomography, and to take advantage of efficient frequency-domain methodologies that have been developed for inverting large controlled-source datasets. Existing full-waveform acoustic modelling and inversion codes have been modified to handle plane waves impinging from the base of the lithospheric model at a known incidence angle. A processing protocol has iii been developed to prepare teleseismic observations for the inversion algorithm. To assess the validity of the acoustic approximation, the processing procedure and modelling-inversion algorithm were tested using synthetic seismograms computed using an elastic Kirchhoff integral method. These tests were performed to evaluate the ability of the frequency-domain full-waveform inversion algorithm to recover topographie variations of the Moho under a variety of realistic scenarios. Results show that frequency-domain fullwaveform tomography is generally successful in recovering both sharp and discontinuous features. Thirdly, I developed a new method for creating an initial background velocity model for the inversion algorithm, which is sufficiently close to the true model so that convergence is likely to be achieved. I adapted a method named Deformable Layer Tomography (DLT), which adjusts interfaces between layers rather than velocities within cells. I applied this method to a simple model comprising a single uniform crustal layer and a constant-velocity mantle, separated by an irregular Moho interface. A series of tests was performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the DLT algorithm; the results show that my algorithm produces useful results within a realistic range of incident-wave obliquity, incidence angle and signal-to-noise level.
Recommended Citation
Aktas, Kadircan, "Teleseismic tomography for imaging Earth’s upper mantle" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4555.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4555