Mantle Transition Zone Discontinuities beneath the Contiguous United States

Abstract:

The depths of the 410 km (d410) and 660 km (d660) discontinuities are robust indicators of in-situ temperature in the upper and lower boundary, respectively, of the mantle transition zone (MTZ), and thus can provide critical constraints on the depth extent of major tectonic features. Using over 310,000 high-quality radial receiver functions recorded by the USArray and other seismic stations in the contiguous United States, the depths of the d410 and d660 are mapped in over 1000 consecutive overlapping circles with a radius of 1 degree. The average MTZ thickness for both the western and central/eastern US is within 3 km from the global average of 250 km, suggesting an overall normal MTZ temperature beneath both areas. The Pacific Coast Ranges and the southern Basin and Range Province are underlain by a depressed d410, indicating higher-than-normal temperature in the upper MTZ. The proposed Yellowstone and Raton hotspots are not associated with clear undulations of the MTZ discontinuities, but d410 beneath another proposed hotspot, Bermuda, is depressed significantly and d660 has a normal depth. Low-temperature regions are found in the upper MTZ associated with the subducted Juan de Fuca slab beneath the northern Rocky Mountains, and in two circular areas beneath the northern Basin and Range Province and the southern Colorado Plateau. Part of the Great Plains is characterized by a depressed d660. This observation, when combined with results from seismic tomography, suggests the existence of a cold region in the lower MTZ, probably associated with subducted Farallon slab segments.