Constructing 3D isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic crustal models across USArray using Rayleigh wave phase velocity and ellipticity: inferring continental stress field

Abstract:

The EarthScope USArray Transportable Array (TA) has provided a great opportunity for imaging the detailed lithospheric structure beneath the continental US. In this presentation, we will report our recent progress on constructing detailed 3D isotropic and anisotropic crustal models of the contiguous US using Rayleigh wave phase velocity and ellipticity measurements across TA. In particular, we will discuss our recent methodology development of extracting short period Rayleigh wave ellipticity, or Rayleigh-wave H/V (horizontal to vertical) amplitude ratios, using multicomponent noise cross-correlations. To retain the amplitude ratio information between vertical and horizontal components, for each station, we perform daily noise pre-processing (temporal normalization and spectrum whitening) simultaneously for all three components. For each station pair, amplitude measurements between cross-correlations of different components (radial–radial, radial–vertical, vertical–radial and vertical–vertical) are then used to determine the Rayleigh-wave H/V ratios at the two station locations. Measurements from all available station pairs are used to determine isotropic and directionally dependent Rayleigh-wave H/V ratios at each location between 8- and 24-second period. The isotropic H/V ratio maps, combined with previous longer period Rayleigh-wave H/V ratio maps from earthquakes and Rayleigh-wave phase velocity maps from both ambient noise and earthquakes, are used to invert for a new 3-D isotropic crustal and upper-mantle model in the western United States. The new model has an outstanding vertical resolution in the upper crust and tradeoffs between different parameters are mitigated. A clear 180-degree periodicity is observed in the directionally dependent H/V ratio measurements for many locations where upper crustal anisotropy is likely strong. Across the US, good correlation is observed between the inferred fast directions in the upper crust and documented maximum compressive stress directions. This suggests that the observed H/V ratio anisotropy can potentially be used to infer static stress field across the US.